Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery

[roygrip]

THE EASIEST WAY TO STAY SOBER!

a) Breathe In
b) Breathe Out
c) Don't drink in between!

[roygrip]

f you're having trouble believing in a power greater than yourself...
Just try believing in a power OTHER THAN YOURSELF!

[roygrip]

THE MATURITY PRAYER

God, Grant me the maturity
to accept what I'm feeling
and the courage to correct
the actions that I took
that made me feel this way.

[roygrip]

Addiction and Recovery
Addiction affects us many ways. We work too much, eat too much, and drink too much. We look for ways to self medicate when we feel the slightest of uncomfortable feelings. Society doesn't really encourage us to feel what is really going on or to stay in touch with what is really important either. To be sober, or soberminded, is to be in touch with reality. It is to see what really is there, hear what is really being said and to experience our feelings. We don't need to always follow our feelings; but they do provide us with information. It is what we do with them. Christ despised the shame, but still experienced it.

Recovery is the process where we are tired of using and we say good by to our 'drug of choice.' The process of recovery is three-fold: Physical, Emotional and Spiritual. Some substances have a direct effect on our nervous system like alcohol, pot, street drugs and prescription medicine. Other addictions are called process addictions as they involve behaviors like sex, gambling, spending, work and Internet use. Don't be fooled. These behaviors can be very addictive and affect our brains just as much.

Emotionally, addicts are numb. That is why many people with addiction look so good. They function pretty well. They appear even tempered at the beginning stages, because they are sedating ourselves with the glass of wine at night, the porn fix weekly or the "shopping therapy" on the weekend. They really don't really think that there is anything wrong. This is what is called denial. A spouse, parents or concerned person begins to feel more than they addict is feeling. As the concerned person becomes more motivated to help the addict, the addict does less to help their own life. The need to be "independent" and not controlled is a very strong need. It surpasses rational thinking and logic. They unconsciously choose to continue in their addictive cycle rather than look at the reality of what is going and doing what their spouse wants. Thus feeling "independent," they are actually dependent on the eating, drinking, working, shopping, gambling, lusting or drug use.

The Physiology of Addiction
For instance, there is a center in our brain called the "Cingulate Gyrus." This area has to do with attention. It is the "channel changer" in our brain. When this works well, we are able to see options, have cognitive flexibility and be able to shift our attention from one idea to the next. When it doesn't work well, we get STUCK, not being able to get a thought, worry or resentment out of our minds. People who struggle with "Cingulate Gyrus" problems tend to hold on to resentments from the past, worry a lot, and their brains gets into a lock-in mode. These people often come from alcoholic homes. Addiction is appealing to them. It momentarily takes away the obsession and resentment and numbs it with pleasant feelings. But the obsession become switched to the obsession to use or compulsion to act out. We know that sexual addiction and compulsive gambling affect the same center of the brain, "Cingulate Gyrus," as in cocaine addiction. Dr. Daniel Amen, a psychiatrist whose clinics have looked at more that 20,000 SPECT brain scans of individuals, has provided us with a lot of useful information regarding addiction. His website, brainplace.com is very helpful.

Brain Damage


No one wants to think about brain damage from alcohol and drug use. It is a great way to bring the part down. But it is the truth. Drug users and alcoholics who have used think that once they stop using their brains get reset back to their original state. This is not the case. To be fair, there is evidence to say that antidepressants and other psychotropic medication alters physical structures of the brain. People take fish oil, Omega 3 which contain the fatty acids Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) which are the building blocks of the brain. So, what we put into our bodies has an effect not only on our body but our brains.

[roygrip]

Getting sober was one of the three pivotal events in my life, along with becoming an actor and having a child. Of the three, finding my sobriety was the hardest thing.
Gary Oldman

[roygrip]

I have other obligations now - the show, my family, my life... though I know that without my sobriety I wouldn't have any of those things.
Rob Lowe


Sobriety was the greatest gift I ever gave myself. I don't put it on a platform. I don't campaign about it. It's just something that works for me. It enabled me to really connect with another human being - my wife, Sheryl - which I was never able to do before.
Rob Lowe

[roygrip]

Jun 15, 2012 8:32:44 GMT -5 @daphne87 said:

Jun 12, 2012 8:56:36 GMT -5 roygrip said:

Hi Daphne! I'm playing nurse made to a friends son, kicking heroin, staying at my house, no money for rehab. Oh it's tough, week 2.5, 2 more weeks to go before he's done detoxing, ain't recovery grand!

Wow! That's a lot to take on -- good for you!!

It's Friday and I'm looking forward to my meeting tonight!

Yeah but we can't keep what we are freely willing to give away. I'm frazzled, the wife's frazzled, only time I saw puke come in this many colors was when it came out the "other end" of our daughter when she was a baby)!!! (sorry rough nite!) But he's getting better, hope he's done!

[Deleted]

Good morning Roy! How are ya!

[roygrip]

Jun 17, 2012 8:30:24 GMT -5 @shooby said:

Good morning Roy! How are ya!

Hi Sweetie! I'm well! Hope you are too!

[roygrip]

Jun 18, 2012 5:38:27 GMT -5 @daphne87 said:

Good morning!

Hope things are better at your house Roy (and I hope he's done, too!)

One day at a time, I had to tackle him a couple of times (he wanted drugs!) But prayin' and hopin'

[kimber45]

Good Morning - how is everyone doing?

[kimber45]

Sounds good, Daphne

[roygrip]

Happy 4th of July! (got him into a free rehab) Keeping fingers crossed!

[kent]

Hi everyone!

I just watched a special and wanted to share with you.

It was on the NatGeo series called "Taboo" and the episode is entitled "Booze" It will be on again this coming Saturday, July 7th and again on Saturday, July 14th.

The program profiles people with the disease and how their life is impacted.

I'm not recommending this from a "Holier than Thou" point, it's just that sometimes it's good to see things from a distance to get an idea of how the disease looks from the outside.

Hang in there everyone - you WILL win the battle one day at a time.

Oh, and Happy 4th of July!

[roygrip]

Nice Kent!

Daphne. ENJOY!!!!

[mmhmm]

Jul 4, 2012 20:55:07 GMT -5 roygrip said:

Happy 4th of July! (got him into a free rehab) Keeping fingers crossed!

That's good news, Roy, for you and for him. I sure hope he makes the best of it this time.

To all of you who are fighting addiction, kudos! Here's one ol' gal who's rooting for you every step of the way, and every day. Keep up the good work for yourselves, and for those you love.

[moxie]

So, if you have no money or insurance, there is no place for you to safely detox?

[moxie]

Hi, btw, Roy.

[roygrip]

Thanks mmhmm!!!! We do it one day at a time!

[femmefatale]

Hugs Roy.

[roygrip]

Moxie, sadly for the most part, rehabs and detox facilities cost, roughly $25,000 and up per month. Most facilities are funded partialy by the state they are in. Therefore they must have a % of the beds as free or (State beds) Problem is the % is small compared to paid beds sooooo there is a waiting list. An addict must call in everyday to see if the bed is free. Most under addiction couldn't do that. Sad for the addict on the street. Easiest way, get arrested, admit addiction, ask for help from the courts, and be sentenced to rehab!

[roygrip]

;D Thanks Femme, hugs!

[Deleted]

I do think that if we spent more investing in available rehab and mental health services, that society would be helped overall in a big way. We just dont' view mental health issues in the same way we view physical issues and that is truly a shame. Oftentimes if you can address the mental health issues, you go a long, long way in helping their physical health as well. In addition, the damage wrought on children and other family members that result in them being mentally or emotionally unhealthy. By treating and helping addicts, you are helping to save the whole circle of people around them.

[roygrip]

Jul 13, 2012 7:40:36 GMT -5 @shooby said:

I do think that if we spent more investing in available rehab and mental health services, that society would be helped overall in a big way. We just dont' view mental health issues in the same way we view physical issues and that is truly a shame. Oftentimes if you can address the mental health issues, you go a long, long way in helping their physical health as well. In addition, the damage wrought on children and other family members that result in them being mentally or emotionally unhealthy. By treating and helping addicts, you are helping to save the whole circle of people around them.

Amen!!!

[Deleted]

Good morning Roy!

[chiver78]

looking for advice here. I'd bet that some of you have experienced this sort of thing before. I'm not quite sure how to handle this. thanks in advance.

I have a friend who we suspect is becoming an alcoholic. after a recent traumatic event that - while not at all her fault - was definitely an effect of some poor choices related to drinking. she put a couple of us at risk of physical harm as well, but we are physically okay right now. we are all still processing everything, and some days are easier than others. she had originally asked the small group of us not to say anything to anyone else about the traumatic event, and we've obliged.

going back and forth with her (she's left our area to return home), she has completely zeroed in on this awful thing that happened to her and refuses to acknowledge that it could have had anything to do with her choices. she doesn't want to hear anything we have to say about how her choices have been getting progressively more questionable lately, and that perhaps she ought to take a step back and look at where she is and how she got there. *I'm deliberately leaving some stuff out here.....

in response, she has decided to pull back from the group and focus more on her newer (more recent) friends that don't know her quite so well. she's put up one of those artwork pics on FB that says "when a friend does something wrong, don't forget all the things they did right." with a comment that it needed re-posting. *one of her repeated comments to each of us trying to get through to her is that what we've seen recently is not the norm, and that she's been there without judgment for all of us (?) and can't we do that for her? the latest thing I've caught wind of is that she's reached out to another friend that wasn't originally in the loop to explain her story and to badmouth the 3 of us that had been the only ones to know what happened.

I have to say that she's definitely making it easier for me to walk away, but I don't want to do that. what's the best way to try to get through to her?

[mox]

Where the heck has Roy been?

[mox]

"what's the best way to try to get through to her?"

If she is in denial, there isn't. They make it all about them. You are the bad guys with the problem...she is not (in her mind anyways). JMO Ultimately, it is up to them to face reality and get the help they need. When they do that, be supportive.

[mox]

As long as they turn THEIR PROBLEM into a problem for others, then they don't have the problem and don't feel a need to change (again, in their mind). Put THEIR PROBLEM back on them...that is when they will decide to get help or not!

[Reckless Roselia]

Aug 23, 2012 13:39:41 GMT -5 @mox said:

Where the heck has Roy been?

Roy's advice on tackling addiction has been great.