Benefits of Sober Living

Why is it Better to be Sober? 

Benefits of being sober are widely known, even to those who are actually addicted to drugs or alcohol. However, the challenge of overcoming addiction is still bigger and a major deterrent for those suffering from drug addiction to achieve complete sobriety. This discussion is intended to highlight why is it better to leave alcohol and drugs and lead a life of sobriety. 

Your Social Circle Will Expand and Relationships Will Improve

Once you begin your journey on the path of Sobriety, you will be able to join counseling and support groups to get emotional and mental support to deal with your addiction issues. By meeting people who are caught in the same vicious circle as you, you will be able to know how to deal with the situations better and understand what changes they are bringing in their lives. Friends made in these support groups will accelerate your recovery process, by helping you give better insights in life. Apart from this, you will be able to mend relationships with your old friends and family members that might have been strained due to the behavioral issues you faced during addiction. 

You Will Be Able to Secure and Manage Your Finances Again

Once you are addicted to drugs or alcohol, you do not realize how much money you’re spending on these products. You can save a lot of money that you were earlier spending on alcohol and drugs.  Apart from this, alcohol or Drug Addiction brings with itself several financial insecurities and some people even lose their job as they are not able to do justice to their work due to addiction. By being sober, you can pull yourself out from all the financial troubles and secure your future as well. 

There will be a Stark Improvement in your Health 

All drug and alcohol addicts undergo major health problems because the toxins and chemicals present in these substances get deposited in the body. Once you become sober, your health will automatically improve and your energy levels will also go up.  In fact, you will notice some stark changes in your physical appearance as substance abuse affects the skin and overall personality of the person as well. 

From Where to Seek Professional Help? 

We agree that becoming completely sober is difficult. However, it is still not impossible to leave drugs and alcohol. Proper professional guidance and a treatment plan designed as per your needs can help you start your life all over again. Quapaw House a reputed behavioral health center for drug and alcohol de addiction is the right place to seek help for those who are trying to achieve sobriety. For complete details about their residential programs and treatment plans you can visit Quapaw House .

Summary - Once you leave alcohol and drugs, you will be amazed to see profound changes in your appearance, personality and attitude. By being sober, you will be able to make new friends and can start working towards your goals in life all over again.  

Talking to Your Teen About Drug Abuse

Why talking to your young teen about drug abuse is important?

A child getting addicted to drugs or alcohol is nothing new—the threat has been very serious, globally prevalent since the 1960s. Addiction can be the result of parenting styles, problems at educational institutions, or peer pressure. As a result, nearly every individual is at the risk of falling prey to addiction. However, teens present a bigger threat. The reason lies in their impressionable minds. Teenage years are associated with exploring beyond the realm of reason or what is taught at school—teenage is about being a non-conformist, daring to do things that are deemed risky by the society. This thought is prevalent in nearly every environment where teenagers converge.

Why is this challenging?

The biggest challenge for parents during this phase is talking about issues like drugs without getting too predictable or preachy. We realize that as a parent or guardian, you feel the pressure of guiding your child but in a way that appeals to their mindset. In this discussion, we are going to discuss this approach, i.e. how parents/guardians should approach the dialogue when the threat of drug addiction and alcohol is omnipresent. These are just a few tips that have been gathered after interacting with parents across different age groups, Rehabilitation Centers, counseling experts and healthcare practitioners. Read through each of these tips and try to put a couple into practice to introspect and realize which approach works best for your teen:

1. Keep the conversation casual

We feel that most conversations about drug addiction prevention fail because the environment gets too serious. Even if you suspect your teen of using illicit chemicals, ensure that the tone and moment of the interaction does not come across as intruding into the teen’s personal space. Your approach should be that of a seasoned campaigner, someone who has seen close friends and family members destroy their life due to addiction. The idea is to underline the threat without directly accusing the child or putting him at the center of the dialogue.

2. Encourage them to ask questions 

There is a fallacy that teenage addiction is fueled by ignorance. The fact remains that with the advent of social media and the web, there is plenty of information available. It is just about channelizing the media-enabled information in the right manner. Most teenagers struggle to do this, making them more susceptible to seek the help of folks who are either peddling or abusing drugs. You should try to become the source of authority. Encourage your teen to ask questions about every, in detail, aspect of drug abuse. Don't be shy of quoting real-life examples like having tried and being reprimanded yourself during your college days.

From where to get Right Guidance for your Teen

Apart from an honest conversation and creating an environment that encourages interaction, you might need the help of a professional. These folks are well acquainted with how to weave a conversation that drives results, i.e. your teen sharing addiction fears, experiments or the confusion that prevails in this segment. This is why we recommend Quapaw House—community-level institution that combines caregivers, after-care programs, de-addiction programs, and counselors for the best inpatient and outpatient facilities.

Summary

Teens are highly susceptible to drugs or substance abuse. The right time to make them aware about making better decisions is the teenage years. However, doing this is not easy. It requires a certain degree of tact that every parent might not have.

Continuing of Care Important in Treating Alcoholism or Substance Abuse

Why is Continuing of Care Important in Treating Alcoholism or Substance Abuse?

After-care is exclusively designed for patients who are at final stage of their abuse treatment program and think that they are no longer drug addicts. Finishing treatment process is a great achievement but this is definitely not the end of their problem. There is always a fair chance of relapse in most of the cases. Hence, it’s not wrong to say that real task begins after completion of treatment. Hence, after-care is necessary during first year of Recovery. 

Possibility of Relapse

According to experts, approximately 50% of patients who have gone through initial treatment relapsed at a later stage. Addicts who have relapsed rarely get another chance to recover. But there is still hope as relapse is preventable. Highest possibility of relapse is during the first 2 months and persists up to first five years of recovery. 

What Might Cause Relapse?

When people leave treatment facility after initial treatment, they are very confident and motivated for their future. Once they settle down to their normal life, staying away from drugs and alcohol is very difficult. People are again surrounded by temptation and there is no body to help them out outside the rehab facility. They lack therapy and support of the behavioral care center. 

How After-Care Can Help?

Continuing care after treatment for alcoholism and substance abuse can prevent chances of a relapse. Benefit of aftercare is that it keeps person motivated, confident and provides support of therapists during difficulty. Over time, they develop coping strategies.

Continuing care is quite easy with behavioral health centers like Quapaw House. Quapaw Rehab has simple 12 week continuing care program with successful recovery rate. 

Summary- After-care is very crucial part when patient requires complete recovery. It’s better to have continuing of care in form of sober living skills, relapse prevention and coping strategies to achieve complete sobriety. 

Honesty Plays Important Role to achieve Sobriety

Why Honesty is Important to achieve Sobriety? 

It is commonly seen that people who are addicted to drugs and alcohol, live a dishonest and deceptive life. In order to hide their addiction, they often lie to their family, friends and co-workers that results in strained relationship with everyone around them. Addiction leads to many destructive consequences that not only affect the victim but everyone around him or her.

Following the principal of honesty is the first step towards a successful Sobriety Plan. This principal is very important to follow, if you wish to see permanent changes in your life. In this blog, we are going to discuss why it is important for the victim to be honest to himself, people around him and to the treatment programs for bringing forth positive results.

Self-Honesty is The First Step towards Sobriety

Usually drug and alcohol addicts live in a state of denial. They claim that they are not addicted and their life problems have not got out of hand. The very first thing that the victim has to do is accept that his health, relationships and career are adversely affected due to addiction. The addict needs to admit that he needs help and commit to a De-Addiction Program.

Addiction is a complicated disease that robes a person’s self-esteem. When a victim takes a good honest look at himself, he realizes what he is missing in life due to his addiction. 

Be Honest to People Around You

It is not only the addict who bears the consequences of his or her addiction but people around him suffer as well. An honest admission to family and friends will make the victim feel emotionally better and get rid of the feeling of guilt and shame that he had been carrying for so long. By sharing his story, the victim will be able to leave the past behind and move forward on the path of recovery.

Counseling groups can be a great help to victim, where he will be able to meet people who are facing the same situations and share his problems with them with an open heart. 

Be Honest Towards Your Future

An addict practicing the principle of honesty should be aware of the fact that he will be addicted for the rest of his life if he does not stay committed to his de-addiction plan. The victim should make sure that actions and thoughts are in the positive direction, so that their sobriety is supported in the future as well.

Where Can You Seek Help for Sobriety?

The person suffering from alcohol or substance abuse can seek respite in a well-trusted rehab center where the victim is provided to get assistance for getting rid of addiction through therapy and residential programs. Quapaw House  is a reputed behavioral health center that has changed the lives of many drug and alcohol addicts with its holistic approach towards de-addiction.    

Summary- Deceit and dishonesty regarding addiction inculcate feelings of guilt and shame in a person. Honest self-admission and an honest confession to family and friends can help the victim to move on to the path of sobriety and stay sober in the future as well. 

Residential Detoxification Programs Better than Outpatient Programs

Why are Residential Detoxification Programs Better than Outpatient Options?

The fight against addiction is painful not only for you but also for your family members as they see you suffering every day. To fight against addiction it is necessary to take a proper treatment so that you can cure yourself and can start a new life. There are two categories of drug addiction treatment- inpatient i.e. residential detoxification program and outpatient. It is important to choose the right treatment and before that is equally important for you to know about the services and advantages which these treatments offer.

Understanding Inpatient Treatment

In patient or Residential Detoxification program usually offers few days of residential care for providing support to a person who shows signs of withdrawal due to the effects of the addictive substances. The program includes medical and observational supervision. Under this program, a patient needs to get admitted to a rehab center and stays there under constant monitoring.

During the initial stage, when the patient experiences withdrawal symptoms, he is kept under strict observation and is surrounded with experts and doctors. The addict is kept away from situations that promote craving and the client is kept busy with various activities so that he does not feel isolated.

Involvement of family members is advised along with group therapies and various other activities. Balanced and nutritious diet is given to the patient so help his body recover physically.

What is Outpatient Treatment?

Under this treatment, you do not get admitted to the rehab center but stay at home. This treatment allows you to lead a normal life and undergo the treatment simultaneously. During this treatment, the addict visits the center for few hours during a day.

Most of the people believe that inpatient treatment is better than outpatient as under the impatient treatment the client is under strict observation of the doctors and there is no scope for him to consume drugs. But, in the case of outpatient treatment there is lack of expert attention and the person may get his hands on drugs on the way of coming and going to the center. Also, inpatient treatment offers various activities and therapies throughout the day which keeps the client consumed but this does not happen in the case of outpatient treatment.

Summary- Outpatient treatment is more effective for an individual and can help an addict to recover early. Quapaw House offers residential detoxification programs which help an individual to overcome the addiction of drugs by providing various sessions and therapies so that the addict can lead a normal life ahead.