”I went through two other centers and never had a clue—but you showed me where to find it and how to fix it. You truly opened my eyes.”
–Pat
Read More Testimonials
We’re Sovereign Health of California Treatment Center, the leading dual diagnosis center on California’s famous Gold Coast, located in the Southern California beach community of San Clemente.
We offer treatment of concurrent behavioral health issues known as Dual Diagnosis or Co-Occurring Disorders. We utilize licensed medical professionals to provide you with highly effective clinical services for diagnosis and treatment of addictions with underlying psychological impairments. We specialize in rehabilitation services for those with one or more of the following conditions:
Binge Drinking and Cognition
Many of us may be doing plenty of damage to our brains because of our drinking habits, without even knowing it. One does not have to meet the criteria for alcohol abuse or addiction for alcohol to negatively impact our brain and cognitive functioning. There has been growing concern over the effects of even occasional binge drinking episodes on cognition. So you might want to give this a thought before you go on your weekend binge drinking spree or if you indulge in heavy drinking each time you’re on a break. Read more »
Part II – Importance of cognitive assessment and remediation in treatment and recovery from alcoholism
Despite the prevalence and seriousness of cognitive impairment in alcoholism, together with the fact that it can be reversed, cognitive assessment and remediation is not always included in treatment programs for alcoholism. Not only should cognitive impairment in alcoholism be addressed, because it is a common and serious adverse affect of the condition, but also to ensure holistic recovery from alcoholism, a good quality of life and relapse prevention. Read more »
Cognitive Assessment and Remediation in Treatment of Alcoholism
Part I – Reversing impaired cognitive functioning caused by excessive drinking
Brain damage and cognitive impairment is a common and serious consequence of excessive drinking – but it can be reversed! Some impairment might improve on it’s own over time, with cessation of drinking , while some can be improved with remedial exercises and pharmacological treatment. Read more »
What causes Cognitive Impairment in Alcoholism?
When asking the question – “What causes cognitive impairment in alcoholism?” the first thing that comes to mind is the intoxicating effects of alcohol on the mind and body. However, intoxication is only one of the reasons that cognitive impairments in alcoholism might occur.
Read more »
Cognitive Impairment and Alcoholism
Almost all of us know from experience - either from our own or those around us - that alcohol affects the brain. Those of us who drink have at least once experienced being intoxicated by alcohol and are aware of the affects, both positive (the high) and negative (hangover or being drunk and unable to function), that alcohol has on the brain and body. Read more »
Chronic Pain and Depression
Depression is often associated with chronic pain because of the nature, duration and effects chronic pain can have on the life of the individual. Chronic pain can persist for months, even years if it not diagnosed and treated correctly. The presence of pain for such long durations can impact many aspects of the individual’s life - ultimately affecting overall functioning and productivity.
A number of factors in chronic pain can lead to depression. Duration of condition, side effects of medication, sleep disturbances, restriction of mobility along with many other negative events and stressors that those suffering from chronic pain have to deal with can all lead to depression. Read more »
How can chronic pain be cured?
Treating chronic pain is a challenge! Chronic pain usually does not respond to standard treatment, since establishing the cause of pain is often difficult. Further, the presence of pain for such a long duration may lead to other disease conditions like depression. The accompanying condition, whether the cause of chronic pain or caused as a result of the pain, also need to be diagnosed and treated simultaneously. Lastly and most importantly, chronic pain affects the overall functioning and quality of life of the individual. Thus one of the major goals of chronic pain treatment along with reducing pain is improving the quality of the patient’s life. Chronic pain rarely get’s cured but, can be managed successfully so that it significantly improves an individuals functioning and quality of life.
Chronic pain can be caused by a number of conditions like headaches, back pain, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, depression etc. and treatment should vary depending on the cause of chronic pain. Based on the cause and severity of the pain, accompanying conditions and the extent to which it affects the individual’s life; an individualized treatment program should be developed. Read more »
Chronic Pain is real and is always experienced in response to something even when there is no physical evidence that can be established. It’s just that sometimes we could be looking at the wrong time and in the wrong place. There is always some physiological, neurological or psychological basis that exists even when we can’t see it. Normal ageing, previous injury, disease conditions, nerve damage, psychological factors could all be responsible for chronic pain. Read more »
Complaints and Disease symptoms
Chronic pain can manifest itself in a wide variety of ways. Headaches, lower back pain, neck pain, joint pain, muscle pain, arthritis pain, and cancer pain are the most common complaints in chronic pain.
While chronic pain affects everyone differently, common symptoms include:
Chronic Pain may manifest as Neurogenic or Psychogenic Pain:
Neurogenic pain is pain which is experienced due to damage to nerves which carry information about the pain. This could be in the peripheral or central nervous system. The damage causes faulty signals to be sent to the brain – as a result of which, the body experiences pain. This is common in conditions of diabetes, chemotherapy, facial nerve problems, HIV infection or AIDS, multiple sclerosis, shingles, fibromyalgia and spine injury.
Psychogenic pain is pain which has no physical explanation. It occurs in the absence of any previous injury, disease or any internal or external visible sign of damage. Chronic pain of this type may be caused due to psychological factors like Depression and Anxiety. While sometimes psychological factors like depression and anxiety may lead to chronic pain, at other times it could be the other way around. When moderate to sever pain persist for months, even years it starts affecting, mood, sleep, day to day functioning and productivity causing symptoms of anxiety and depression which may exacerbate the pain.
The Hallmarks of Chronic Pain
The urge to end their suffering can make many chronic pain patients drug dependent, apart from the other negative effects this type of pain has on the individual. It is thus important to be alert to the signs and symptoms of chronic pain and get is diagnosed and treated from professionals with the knowledge and equipment to treat chronic Pain.
Pain
Pain is a normal sensation, felt by the body, that is triggered by the nervous system in response to an injury inside or outside the body or to possible injury. It makes you aware of the need to look after the part of the body that is injured – or might develop an injury if neglected. Pain usually has a known cause, occurs for a certain duration of time and goes away when the injury heals or is treated.
While pain is the body’s natural response to injury and signals the need to take care of that part of the body, it also has an unfavorable side as it is capable of negatively impacting our functioning, productivity and quality of life. This is especially the case when pain persists for long periods of time and goes undiagnosed and untreated – as often happens with chronic pain.
Types of Pain
Pain is of different types. The two basic types of pain are acute pain and chronic pain. Acute pain is normal and, as already defined above, is a natural response to detectable injury inside or outside the body. This type of pain can be diagnosed and treated and is usually limited to a certain period of time and severity. However, when pain persists for weeks, months or even years after the initial injury has healed, it is referred to as Chronic Pain. Chronic Pain is not normal and some people even suffer chronic pain in the absence of any past injury or evidence of body damage.
Chronic Pain
Many researchers have attempted to define chronic pain. Some use the duration parameter arbitrarily and consider pain that persists longer than 6 months as chronic. A few others have extended the duration to a year. Another definition of chronic pain is pain that persists longer than the expected period of healing.
Whatever the definition of chronic pain, the important fact is that this type of pain usually cannot be diagnosed and almost always goes untreated, causing severe problems for those suffering from this type of pain. It adversely impacts the quality of life, affecting day to day functioning and level of productivity. Approximately 50 million Americans are either partially or totally disabled because of this type of pain.
It is thus important that you not disregard any pain you or your loved one is suffering from that continues to persist long after an injury has healed – or then has no basis for being present as per the doctors. Having said that, what is equally important is that you seek professional help from the right place. Many healthcare professionals fail to recognize chronic pain because it can occur in the absence of physical findings. As a result, countless individuals are informed that “the pain is in their head”. While the fact is that one out of every four Americans suffer from some element of chronic pain according to the American Chronic Pain Association.
Chronic pain is not in the head but real and can be diagnosed and treated. However it often requires the specialized services of a comprehensive, multidisciplinary pain management team.
Effects of Disordered Eating
Eating disorders can lead to substance abuse problems, obsessive-compulsive disorders, relationship, learning, spiritual and financial difficulties. It can affect every part of our life.
Physically, eating disorders can cause infertility, heart irregularities, osteoporosis, chemical imbalances in the brain & body, swelling of face, abnormal hair growth on the body or hair loss, rupture of the stomach or oesophagus, malnutrition, mental disturbances and death.
The primary thing that keeps a person in the illness is FEAR . . . fear of being fat, fear of sharing the secret, fear of abandonment and fear of feeling. By concentrating on our body size, our weight or diet we avoid this fear and numb the feelings.
What we are looking at is a battle between the mind and food with the body being the battleground. Read more »
Compulsive Overeating
I call this ‘grazing’. It’s eating non-stop all day. Some of us get through the day using food.
This person could be any weight. They may be a yo-yo dieter. They may binge and restrict foods. They could be obese.
Binge Eating
Binge eating is characterized by the following:
Anorexia
There is a refusal to maintain normal body weight, resulting in a 15% below normal weight. The anorexic denies hunger and is preoccupied with weight and body image. They believe they are fat even if underweight. They believe they look better the more weight they lose. Their whole focus becomes dieting, weight and body image.
They avoid eating and activities around food. When they do eat, they avoid whole groups of food; perform rituals around food such as eating in a certain order, excessive chewing of food, moving food around the plate. The person suffering with anorexia has an intense fear of getting fat.
The effects of Anorexia are many. The skin, hair and nails become brittle, dry and thin. Due to the absence of body fat they are usually cold and dress in layers even in the summer. They may lose their monthly period and develop fine body hair. They may exhibit compulsive hyperactivity followed by extreme fatigue.
Due to chemical disturbances and malnutrition, they may experience thought and mood distortions, making decision-making difficult, thinking illogically and marked confusion. Hospitalization may be necessary due to dehydration, malnutrition, depression, anxiety or heart and kidney problems.
After an episode of anorexia, approximately Two thirds completely recover and one third continue to have periodic problems with eating disorders later in life. They may transition into bulimia, compulsive overeating or take substances to control their weight or to cope. This eating disorder has a mortality rate of 20%, the highest mortality rate of any mental health condition.
Bulimia Nervosa
They may self-induce vomiting, misuse laxatives, diuretics, enemas, or other medications, periodical fasting and/or excessively exercise. There may be an intense feeling of fullness even after a small meal, with an urge to get rid of the food. People with bulimia nervosa may binge 3 to 20 times per day. Once in place, this pattern of binge eating and purging can continue over a lifetime.
Research has shown a link between bulimia and severe depression and anxiety. Clinical studies have found a dramatic decline in the frequency of binge-and-purge episodes in response to antidepressants, regardless of whether the bulimic is suffering from depression at the time or not.
Bulimia nervosa is a potentially serious condition that disrupts the body’s chemistries, causes harm to the digestive tract, erodes tooth enamel and creates the risk of potentially fatal heart irregularities due to impaired physical health or chemical imbalances.
What is Disordered Eating?
Disordered eating involves a mental obsession about food, weight, diet and body image. It affects our self-esteem and robs us of the quality of life that we deserve. We may become depressed, withdrawn or anxious because of our eating patterns. It affects every area of our lives and our family’s lives.
There is a difference between unhealthy eating habits and disordered eating. A person with disordered eating is using food to cope with life. We overeat as a means to stuff down feelings or thoughts. We refrain from eating or go on a diet to feel in control. We may use the eating to avoid or block some painful part of our life.
Psychological factors that contribute to eating disorders include: low self-esteem, depression, anxiety, perfectionism, feelings of lack of control, inadequacy, loneliness, emptiness.
Situations that can set us up to develop eating disorders include limited coping skills to deal with feelings, denial of feelings, secrets, sexual abuse, excessive ridicule (real or perceived), unrealistic expectations for achievement, parental enmeshment, family disharmony or enmeshment, a cry for help, perfectionism, peer pressure.
Disordered eating has varied definitions and types. It is eating when you are not physically hungry and/or not stopping when you are full. It may result in excessive body fat. It is not necessarily apparent on the outside. We can be normal weight, but we know what we are doing to stay there. We may be bingeing, then starving or exercising excessively. We may use diet pills or other drastic measures. Labels associated with disordered eating are compulsive overeating, binge eating, anorexia, and bulimia (several types). We may go from one disorder to another and another.
Diet or Eating Disorder?
By Rebecca Cooper, MFT, CCH, CEDS
Have you ever dieted? More than once?
Most of the methods we may have tried to control our eating have not worked long term. I hope to explain why diets don’t work, show how diets lead to eating disorders and present some ideas for you to consider that do work.
Diets don’t work. Let me contradict myself now and say “all diets work.” The protein diet, the grapefruit diet, low carb diet, the (fill-in-the-blank) diet, all work. The more bizarre the regime the better it works - at least temporarily!
The problem is that we go off them. We rebel. We get fed up with the diet and we eat all the things we have been depriving ourselves of. We go off the diet. Then we gain the weight back… plus more.
Due to the food restrictions of the diet, our metabolism has slowed down. Our body thinks it is experiencing a famine; it is in starvation alert mode and is trying to store every calorie. The result is that we gain weight with a vengeance, faster than ever before.
Repeating this behavior over time forms a predictable pattern. We gain weight, go on another diet, rebel, and then start the yo-yo cycle of eating and dieting over and over again.
When we diet, we set ourselves up to overeat because we subconsciously rebel over restricting our food. Binge eating often starts as a direct result of dieting. Thirty-five percent of ‘normal dieters’ progress to eating disorders.
Currently, over sixty percent of the population of America is overweight - and nearly one-third are obese. There are more overweight people in the US than at any other time in history. Americans spend over $60 billion on dieting and weight loss products each year. Weight loss is a national obsession. At any given time, 25 million Americans are seriously dieting. Only 1 out of every 200 dieters lose their weight and keep it off for a year or more.
Currently, 2 million Americans suffer from eating disorders. At least 50,000 individuals will die as a direct result of their eating disorder. Because of the secretiveness and shame associated with eating disorders, many cases are probably not reported.
Even before we start our diet the thought of going on a diet begins to influence our overeating. Have you ever thought “I’ll go ahead and eat that cake now because tomorrow (or on Monday, or the first of the month or year) I am going on a diet”? How many times has this happened to you?
How can we set appropriate boundaries?
Learn to say no. If you have an eating disorder, you may have a hard time saying no because it feels confrontational. You may be afraid that saying no will cause others not to like you. This is really not the case — saying no builds trust. If a person receives a ‘no’ answer and believes it, then they also know that ‘yes’ really means yes. If we are always saying yes, then we are not showing others who we really are, nor expressing our real opinions. After awhile, we may even fool ourselves. We may not know our own truth because we are so used to automatically saying yes.
Be aware of your thoughts. Where is your mind throughout the day? You can’t always pick the first thought that comes into your mind, but you can chose to change it and to not dwell on it. Are you thinking positive thoughts? Thoughts that will help in your recovery? Or are you thinking negative thoughts that put yourself down, lower your self-esteem and set up another binge?
Watch out for external stimuli. What do you read, watch on TV, listen to on the radio or see at the movies? Have you noticed some movies or music uplift you and others bring you down? Knowing this about yourself can help balance these activities and place boundaries if you know something won’t feel right.
Know your food preferences and triggers. Do you know which foods make you tired and sleepy? Which foods satisfy your hunger? Which foods trigger your eating disorder? If you know a food is a trigger, or if it doesn’t make you feel good, you can choose not to eat it. If someone offers you one of these foods, you can say, “No, thank you!” If you are not aware of this, or are afraid of hurting someone’s feelings, you disregard an important boundary.
Know your own beliefs and values. Becoming familiar with what you believe and value in life creates a sense of your own space and is an important step to true self-care. Then, coming from your space, you can better guard this important, personal aspect of self. You can learn to value yourself above the approval of others.
Stand up for yourself. You decide what you are in control of and what you want to do or not do. Setting imaginary lines can be done with statements such as, “It’s not OK for you to talk to me like that,” or “No, I don’t feel that way right now.”
Our boundaries help to establish our real truths, which make us feel good about ourselves. We can start by reconnecting to our inner self. Becoming more aware of our feelings and the consequences of our actions can help us create better boundaries in the future. Rather than turning to our eating disorder for comfort, we need to sit with the pain and decide which boundaries could have prevented the discomfort. The better we can get at setting appropriate boundaries, the more life opens up. Then, we know we can take better care of ourselves. This is freedom.
Rebecca Cooper, MFT, CEDS, is the author of Diets Don’t Work®; a structured program to heal disordered eating. For more information about her program, contact her at 800-BULIMIA, www.RebeccasHouse.org or www.DietsDontWork.org.
Creating Boundaries – One Step on the Path to Freedom from Disordered Eating
Rebecca Cooper, MFT, CEDS
Boundaries are imaginary or real lines around our physical, emotional or spiritual self that set limits for us and how we interact with others. Imaginary lines protect our thinking, feelings and behavior. Real lines allow us to choose how close we allow others to come to us, as well as if and how we allow them to touch us. Boundaries help to distinguish what our responsibilities are and are not.
By getting to know ourselves, we can learn to set reasonable boundaries. It is hard to do this when we are not in touch with our feelings, thoughts, beliefs, likes and dislikes. When we disconnect from our wants and needs, focusing instead on weight, body image, diet and food, we lose valuable information. We also lose awareness of the inner guidance system that says “Something is wrong — a boundary needs to be set here.” Read more »
Do you think you are overweight or need to lose weight – even though people around you think you are thin? Do you spend a lot of time worrying about how thin or fat you look? Does how much you weigh affect your mood? Do you feel guilty when you eat, or think you haven’t exercised enough? Do those who are close to you express concern about your eating habits?
If the answers to any of the above questions is yes and/or if people around you, be it family or friends, are concerned about your eating habits, then you probably have an eating disorder.
How do I know my loved one has an eating disorder? Telling the difference between normal concern regarding how one looks and what one eats and an eating disorder could be challenging, especially during the early stages. Additionally individuals with eating disorders will often deny and try to hide their problem. However there are certain behaviors/warning signs which indicate that your loved one could have an eating disorder. If you suspect your loved one has an eating disorder but are unsure, you might want to look out for the following behaviors: Read more »
What are the different types of eating disorder? Are eating disorders of different types? What is the difference between the different eating disorders? There are two main types of eating disorder that have been identified – anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. These are commonly referred to as Anorexia and Bulimia. Several variations of eating disorder do exist and are included by professionals in a separate category. This third category is referred to by professionals as ‘eating disorders not otherwise specified (EDNOS)’. Most of the disorders included here are those that are similar to anorexia and bulimia, but do not exactly fit either of the criteria. Binge-eating disorder is another common eating disorder and comes under this third category. Some research suggests it is the most common form of eating disorder – even more common than Anorexia and Bulimia. Read more »
Eating Disorders refer to severe disturbances in eating habits, be it excessive reduction in the amount of food one eats or the other extreme – excessive overeating. This is accompanied by excessive concern about ones body image and weight. Individuals suffering from eating disorders are obsessed with food and weight. They may go on rigid diets, secretly gorge on food, purge after eating or constantly obsess about what and how much they are eating.
While the problem in eating disorders appears to be unhealthy eating habits, it is only part of the problem. People suffering from eating disorders have distorted, self-critical thoughts and attitudes towards food, weight and body image. This is the real problem! It is these excessive and irrational thoughts and feelings that are responsible for such destructive eating behaviors. For example, an individual suffering from an eating disorder may have an irrational fear of becoming fat. This causes the individual to go to any extreme to stay thin, be it starving oneself, eating and then purging, excessive exercising or all. Read more »
High Fructose Corn Syrup – Not Such a Sweet Deal!
Recently proven to be more addictive than cocaine, a closer look at High Fructose Corn Syrup may help to explain America’s rise in obesity and the new focus on food addiction. Read more »
Ideas to Think About
Rebecca Cooper, MFT, CEDS, is the author of the Diets Don’t Work®; a structured program to heal disordered eating. For more information about her program, contact her at 800-BULIMIA, www.rebeccashouse.org or rebecca@DietsDontWork.org.
People with disordered eating have developed the habit of relying on food to cope with life situations. They use food as a means to displace or ’stuff down’ uncomfortable feelings or thoughts. They may use food to avoid some part of life by grazing or eating all day. This is called compulsive overeating. Some may binge, eating large amounts of food in a short time. Binge eating usually starts in response to a diet. Others may restrict their food intake with a rigid diet until they become so malnourished that they cannot think clearly or function physically and until their long-term health, or even their life itself, is endangered. This is anorexia. Still others may overeat, and then get rid of the food. This is bulimia. Read more »
The Binge Eating Cycle: Breaking Free
We develop patterns of behavior early in life. We start associating certain events with certain behaviors. One such pattern is our behavior with food. Being fed by our parents when we were young may come to represent being cared for or being loved. On the other hand, not being fed when we were hungry may have produced a deep insecurity about whether there would be enough food in the future.
Food can also serve as a distraction. For instance, we may have been told at the doctor’s office that if we didn’t cry when we got a shot, we would be rewarded with a lollypop. Therefore, we focused on getting the lollypop instead of feeling the fear or pain of the needle. We effectively blocked the pain and focused on the reward; the sugar. Is it any wonder, therefore, that, later in life, when we experience pain, emotional or physical, we think a candy bar will make us feel better? Read more »
Relationships and Eating Disorders
By Rebecca Cooper, MFT, CEDS, CCH
I have learned many things about myself that I did not know when I had an eating disorder. One is that food was my best friend, my primary relationship. I ‘went’ to food like some people would go to a trusted friend or confidant.
When Food is the Primary Relationship
Relationships take time and energy to develop, but so does disordered eating. I spent so much time around the thoughts of what or what not to eat, eating, and then hiding what I had done, that I didn’t have the time necessary to create healthy, authentic relationships.
I was uncomfortable being around other people because I felt inadequate and ashamed of my eating disorder. I was afraid that they would find out about my secret and confirm that I was a bad person. It felt safer and more comfortable to be at home alone with my eating disorder than trying to fit in socially. Using food in this manner prevented me from building social skills.
It was also impossible for me to be honest, which is important in relationships, because I had to hide what I was doing – exercising to extreme, spending huge amounts of time, energy and money on bingeing and purging, disappearing after meals, etc.
Although communication is part of any social interaction, when I was in the depths of my eating disorder, I had nothing to talk about. Was I going to say that I ate a quart of ice cream by myself last night? The disorder took the place of hobbies, interests, and other activities that most people find interesting.
So, although food seemed like my ‘best’ friend, the shame of it robbed me of any other relationship. It even prevented me from knowing and being the real me. Eventually, it became necessary to give up the eating disorder in order to find out who I was. It became more important for me to experience love than to hold onto the eating disorder.
Replacing Food with Friends
One important part of recovery, then, is being able to speak the truth, instead of hiding behind food. Learning skills such as negotiation, humor, anger management, compromise and cooperation is essential to that process. If you have used an eating disorder as a means of communication, developing these skills will take courage and practice.
Also, in order to have an authentic, healthy relationship with another person, you must be willing to get to know yourself and then be vulnerable enough to share that self, faults and all. Pretending to be someone other than who you really are is unfulfilling for everyone involved. You cannot keep up an act forever. Even if someone loves you, you may not feel loved because you believe the other person does not know the ‘real’ you.
We have to love ourselves before we can truly love others. We can’t give something we don’t have, so the love inside us has to grow before we are able to give it away. As this loving Self develops, other people recognize and respond to it; the barriers to intimacy start to evaporate and loving relationships can emerge.
Rebecca Cooper is the author of Diets Don’t Work®; a structured program to heal disordered eating. For more information about her program go to www.dietsdontwork.org or contact her at 800-BULIMIA.
How do I know I have a drinking problem?
How do I know when it’s time to get help?
Are your drinking habits causing problems in your life?
If the answer to this question is “yes”, then you probably have a drinking problem – and it’s time to get help! Read more »
Diet or Eating Disorder
All of us diet from time to time, or have dieted at some point in our lives, when it was really required. However, if you find yourself or a loved one perpetually on some diet or the other – even though people around you think that you or your loved one is thin and doesn’t need to diet, then you or your loved one could be suffering from an eathng disorder.
Very often, eating disorders start with dieting. This does not mean it’s wrong to diet. There’s nothing wrong with dieting – as long as it’s aimed at maintaining or achieving a healthy body weight and is done the right way – eating and/or exercising in moderation. However, when becoming and/or staying thin becomes all that matters – so much so that you go to any extreme to be thin – it could be a sign of having or developing an eating disorder. Read more »
How can I help a loved one suffering from Addiction?
Your loved one will need treatment and support to overcome an addiction problem and you can play a crucial role in seeking treatment for them and in their recovery provided they want to get better. For treatment to be effective it’s important for the individual suffering from addiction to realize they have a serious problem and at least be open to treatment if not motivated to get treated. Forcing a loved one into treatment who does not admit he/she has a problem and/or does not want to get better might not be effective in the long run as chances of relapse are always high. So an important role in helping a loved one recover would be getting them to realize they have a problem. Treatment and recovery from addiction is a complex process and takes time. It involves addressing issues that lead to addiction and developing new coping mechanisms to deal with thoughts, emotions and circumstances which trigger use of addictive substances. An addicted person will not get better overnight and helping a loved one recover requires time, effort and patience. In helping a loved one recover not only will they need external help and support, but so will you.
Part I: Becoming knowledgeable about the disease and treatment options
The first step in helping your loved one recover could be becoming knowledgeable about the disease and becoming aware of the different treatment programs and centers accessible to you. While all the help you need for your loved one’s recovery is available, it’s important to make yourself knowledgeable about the disease and it’s severity before seeking treatment. Treatment varies depending on severity. While in severe cases you’re loved on might require hospitalization and detoxification followed by admission in a rehab centre, in less severe cases individual therapy, joining support groups or even counseling might help. You could ask your general physician or family doctor to guide you in assessing the problem and treatment options, research on the internet or even talk to people who have suffered from similar problems. It’s important to know what you are dealing with and the treatment options available in order to help your loved one get the appropriate treatment.
Biofeedback and Neurofeedback Biofeedback involves training your mind to heal your body. In Biofeedback, sophisticated equipment monitors and gives you moment to moment information about your bodily processes such as heart rate, blood pressure, muscle tension, and skin temperature. Initially, you use the equipment to monitor your bodily processes and correlate them with your thoughts and feelings and slowly, with training, you learn to identify and control your mental state to bring about the desired physical and physiological changes in your body, thus amplifying the addiction treatment process. Both Biofeedback and Neurofeedback has shown increased success rates and relapse prevention when used with conventional treatments for addiction. Additionally, an improvement in the overall functioning – cognitive and psychological – can be seen in patients who undergo Neurofeedback Training. It helps replace self defeating patterns of thinking and behavior in patients with healthier patterns and choices, thereby making it an addiction treatment of choice. Read more »
Part IV: Helping and taking care of yourself
The last and most important thing to remember is to help yourself and get all the support you need. Dealing with a loved one who suffers from addiction can be mentally and emotionally exhausting. It’s important to take care of yourself while helping your loved one. Being able to talk openly about your problems and finding support can help. You could turn to trusted friends, a therapist, people in your faith community or even join a peer support group for families coping with addiction such as Al-Anon for alcoholism. Being able to share your burdens and listening to others with similar problems can provide a lot of comfort and strength to get you through your difficult situation.
Taking care of your self might also require you to acknowledge any problems you could have developed while dealing with your loved one’s addiction and seeking treatment for it. Sometimes in an effort to help someone recover from addiction, the helper might become addicted as well - not to drugs or alcohol necessarily - but to the loved ones addictive behavior and being needed by the addict. This is referred to as Co-dependency and is a serious problem. Co-dependent people often neglect themselves because they are obsessed with the addicted person’s problem and trying to cure and control it. In trying to do so they may be unintentionally keeping their loved one from recovering (discussed in Part III of this article). It’s important to examine if your whole life is revolving around your addicted loved one and how you are caring for and supporting them. If your whole life revolves around them and you are neglecting yourself in the process, it’s time to cut back and take care of yourself first.
Part III: Intervention – Getting outside/professional help to get a loved one to realize the seriousness of their problem
An intervention is getting a trusted outsider and/or a professional to intervene and address your loved one’s addiction problem. It is an effective means of helping your loved one realize they have a problem and ensuring they seek treatment – especially in cases where your loved one is refusing to accept they have a problem and/or the problem is spiraling out of control – either in a crisis situation or even if you just want to help your loved one before their condition deteriorates further.
An intervention aims at trying to get individuals suffering from addiction to see that they have a serious problem – firstly by providing them with concrete examples of how they are harming themselves and those around them and then getting the addicted individual to go to rehab immediately, laying down the consequences for not seeking treatment. This is known as Pretreatment Intervention. Intervention might also aim at just getting the individual to change his or her behaviors instead of going to rehab. This type of intervention is referred to as Brief Intervention. Here consequences are laid down for not changing behavior. Brief Intervention is usually done in less severe cases and when it does not work pre treatment intervention may be used.
You can either plan an intervention yourself, involving close family members, friends and other significant people in the addicted person’s life (colleagues, community leaders, clergy etc.) or seek professional help. An intervention requires a lot of planning. In the former case all members who will be participating in the intervention need to work together on coming up with examples of how the addicted person’s behavior has become a problem for himself or herself and those around them. The consequences each one plans to lay down if the individual does not agree on getting treated need to be determined, along with the treatment plan. The date and venue also have to be agreed upon. When planning an intervention on your own, it might be a good idea to have neutral mediator or a third party person present at the intervention, someone who remains objective and ensures the intervention is focused and achieves its objective.
When you seek professional help, the professional usually meets with family, friends and significant others and then works on examples, consequences and treatment plan for the Intervention. You can contribute and make changes to the intervention plan with the professional.
While all the members participating in the intervention are informed of the agenda, date and place, the individual who is addicted is not told anything beforehand and is usually taken to the place of intervention on some other pretext.
An intervention might take more than one session to achieve it’s goal, but has been proved to be successful in most cases. The rate of recovery for addicts who have been subjected to intervention is high and for many addicts who have recovered from addiction, the treatment started with Intervention. The only reason an intervention might fail is because the individual is not self motivated and/or has decided that he/she does not want to quit using the addictive substances.
Part II: Making your loved one realize that they have a problem and ascertaining your behaviors and actions that might be contributing to the addiction, as well as preventing your loved one from realizing they have an addiction problem
For treatment to be effective it’s important to make the individual suffering from addiction realize that they have a problem. You cannot get a loved one to stop drinking or taking drugs as it’s really up to them to admit they have a problem and want to get help, but you can help them realize that they have a problem and thereby aid in their recovery. There are a number of ways in which this could be done. While sometimes just talking and reaching out to the individual when they are sober might help, at other times more effort might be needed on your part in understanding how you could be preventing them from realizing that they have an addiction problem and then changing your behavior towards them.
Your behavior or actions can significantly impact on your loved ones addiction problem. You could either be inadvertently encouraging addictive behavior, could be manipulated into letting the addictive behaviors happen or, at other times, you might be giving into the problem because of the love and/or pity you feel towards your loved one. It’s important to understand that the need for alcohol and/or drugs is so strong in people who are addicted that they can go to any extent to procure it - including deceiving and manipulating people they might love dearly. Your feelings, be it love, pity or both towards your loved one could be taken full advantage of. There are numerous ways in which your loved one could get you to give in to their wants – promising that it will never happen again after this one time that you help them, throwing tantrums and threatening you are some. At other times, especially in cases when your loved one has lost a job, has no food, money etc. your feelings can get the better of you. You might be compelled to help them but may ultimately end up encouraging the addictive behaviors rather than helping them. It’s important to realize that being loving and supportive does not mean giving in to everything your loved one wants or say they need, but giving them what they need to get better. It’s thus important to set boundaries for yourself and know where to draw the line in helping or supporting your loved one. For example, instead of offering your loved one financial or other help you could get them to seek medical help. It could be that you do not knowingly give in to your loved ones problem, but you still could be inadvertently encouraging addictive behavior. You do this when you take over their responsibilities – e.g. doing their chores for them, cleaning up for them etc., when you’re drinking with them or giving them money for reasons like food or clothes but which instead is being used to buy more alcohol or drugs.
Apart from encouraging the problem, you could also be preventing your loved one with addiction from admitting he/she has a problem by rescuing them every time they get into trouble. Covering up their mistakes in front of others or lying for them to their colleagues and friends to protect them; or maybe protect your own image or even bailing them out of jail is rescuing them. A person suffering from addiction needs to be made to feel responsible for his or her own mistakes and suffer the consequences of their actions. Otherwise, they will never realize that they have a problem.
At the same time fighting, arguing, pleading with your loved one or trying to control him or her will not help, as this may send them on a guilt trip which in turn could result in more drinking.
What individuals suffering from addiction really need is love and support. It’s important to understand the fine line between love and support which allows them to continue using the addictive substance, as already discussed, which is aimed at getting the individual to quit. By assessing your behaviors and how they affect the individual with addiction, plus setting boundaries for yourself, you are providing the love and support your loved one needs to get better.
How do I know I’m drinking too much OR more than I should?
Is there a safe level of drinking?
Some alcoholic beverages, like wine in moderate amounts, are known to have positive effects on health and it has been shown that people who drink at the optimal level have better health than those who do not drink at all – or those who drink too much.
How does one know then how much is too much? On an average, no more than two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women and older people is considered safe.
Millions of people drink but not all become alcoholics. Research has shown that people who are able to restrict themselves to the safe level of drinking rarely ever develop a drinking problem. More specifically, to drink safe and keep oneself at a lower risk of developing a drinking problem, men should restrict themselves to 14 drinks a week, with no more four drinks on any particular day and women should not have more than 7 drinks a week and three on any particular day.
While watching your drinking habits its’ important to know what counts as a drink. In the United States, a ’standard’ drink is any drink that contains about 0.6 fluid ounces - or 14 grams - of ‘pure’ alcohol. The quantity of an alcoholic drink considered to be safe would thus vary depending on the alcohol content in each drink. For instance, Beer has 5% alcohol content and thus a regular beer (12 fl oz) would count as one drink. Table wine on the other hand has 12% alcohol content and a regular wine bottle which is 750 ml would contain 5 drinks. Brandy and Hard Liquor contain 40% alcohol content. Thus, a 1.5-oz glass (shot) or 50-ml would be considered one drink.
While a safe level of drinking has been determined for most adults, it is important to note that safety varies with circumstances and in certain conditions or circumstances one should not drink at all. For instance if you’re pregnant or trying to get pregnant, if your driving or plan to drive, if you’re on medication, if you have a medical condition which could be adversely affected by drinking or if you’re a recovering from alcoholism. Additionally, those considered under age to drink as per the law should also not be drinking.
How does one become addicted?
How does addiction develop?
One does not plan on becoming addicted and one does not become addicted overnight. Drug or Alcohol Addiction usually starts with experimentation out of curiosity or peer pressure, under stressful situations and/or to deal with some other problem – for instance, physical or emotional pain.
Since it makes one feel better even though temporarily, one starts using it more and more and before you know it, it becomes your way of coping with life’s situations. Continued drug use affects the brain, resulting in cravings to use the substance. The drugs slowly replace certain natural chemicals in the brain, to which they are similar. As a result of this, the brain stops producing the natural chemical and starts relying on the drug instead. Thus one becomes physically dependent on the drug and is unable to function and feel fine without the drug. The body creates strong cravings similar to hunger pangs if the drug is not consumed.
Thus, as addiction progresses, it becomes a physical and psychological need and one loses the ability to stop. What started off as a voluntary choice becomes an involuntary reaction to the body’s needs.
Apart from causing strong cravings, continued substance abuse affects areas of the brain responsible for self control and decision making. Repeated drug abuse impairs the ability to inhibit oneself, think clearly and make the right decisions. All this, with the uncontrollable cravings, causes the individual who is addicted to go to any extreme to procure and use the substance - including lying, stealing and deceiving even those people the individual cares deeply about. Their whole life starts revolving around thinking about or actually getting and abusing the substance, thus causing them to forget everything important to them, from basic hygiene and grooming to their family, friends, work and even physical health. In fact, becoming a full blown addict.
Tempted to drink or take drugs when you have problems? Think again
Most of us might have turned to, or at least been tempted, to turn to drugs or alcohol for comfort at some point in our lives. Stress at work, low self esteem, loneliness or depression can cause some of us to drink or do drugs to feel better – and we do for a short while. We feel like all our problems have gone away.
What’s important to understand however, is that while they SEEM helpful in dealing with emotional or physical pain, by making us forget about it temporarily, they really are not helpful - and they don’t solve the problem. The drugs and alcohol make you feel better for ONLY for a short while and if you take away the drugs or alcohol the problem is STILL there, be it stress at home, at work, low self esteem, loneliness or depression.
Because they DO make you feel good and make you feel like the problem has gone away, you tend to use the drug more and more and before you know it, it become’s your way of dealing with all your problems.
With repeated use of the substance you lose the ability to stop yourself from using it because you end up becoming addicted to it. What starts as a voluntary act becomes an involuntary compulsion to use the drug, causing you to forget everything that is important to you – your family, your work - keeping you focused on only one thing, procuring and using the drug.
Drinking or taking drugs does not solve your problems, instead could create a much bigger one – ADDICTION! This adversely affects every aspect of your life – psychological, physical, social and occupational.
Why do Individuals who are addicted continue to do something that is detrimental for them?
Why are Individuals who are addicted unable to stop?
How important is Cognitive Remediation in treating individuals who are addicted? Read more »
What is Addiction?
Addiction refers to an overpowering need for drugs or alcohol, resulting in compulsive use, even though it might be adversely affecting the addicted individual’s life. The craving to use drugs or alcohol is so strong that it becomes more important than anything else, including family, friends, career, even health. These cravings are the result of the affects of the drugs and/or alcohol on the brain.
While the physical effects produced by each drug of abuse differ, they all have one common effect – on the brain, which is why addiction has been referred to as a Brain Disease. Repeated use of drugs or alcohol alters the structure and functioning of the brain resulting in uncontrollable cravings to use drugs or alcohol. It also affects those areas in the brain responsible for self control and decision making. It is for this reason individuals who are addicted will go to any extent to procure and use drugs, including lying and stealing. The brain changes can persist even long after stoppage of the drugs and alcohol and is largely responsible for relapse. Read more »
Alcoholism refers to serious drinking problems, which persist even though adversely affecting all or some of the following aspects in the Individuals life – interpersonal relationships, occupational and/or social functioning, physical and/or psychological health. A person suffering from alcoholism either ‘abuses’ alcohol or becomes physically ‘dependent’ on it.
Alcohol Abuse is when drinking habits become detrimental - physically or mentally - for the Individual; e.g. drinking while driving, neglecting duties in the house - like children - or duties at work because of drinking. These drinking habits continue, despite causing interpersonal, social or legal problems. Individuals who abuse alcohol however have some control over their drinking, even though their drinking habits are self destructive. They have not, as yet, become dependent on alcohol and so do not experience withdrawal symptoms if they do not drink. It is this that differentiates Alcohol Abuse from Alcohol Dependence.
Not all individuals who abuse alcohol become dependent on it. However, continued alcohol abuse can lead to Alcohol Dependence, where an individual loses control over his or her drinking. An individual who has become dependent on alcohol experiences strong cravings to consume alcohol and is unable to quit drinking, even though it might be causing him or her to get into trouble repeatedly - be it with family, at work or even with the law. Alcohol Dependence is characterized by a strong need or compulsion to drink (cravings), impaired control or an inability to limit one’s drinking, physical dependence which causes withdrawal symptoms (tremors, sweating, nausea etc) if alcohol is not consumed and lastly, tolerance which results in increased alcohol intake to experience the same effects.
Once an individual becomes addicted to alcohol (physically and/or psychologically), their whole life begins to revolve around getting and drinking alcohol. People who become physically dependent on alcohol usually cannot stop drinking on their own and need outside help. They usually have a history of repeatedly trying to quit, but being unable to do so.
What is the most effective treatment for addiction?
While many treatment programs and approaches are available to treat individuals who are addicted, effective treatment programs involve not one but a combination of many approaches tailor made for the individual. Addiction Treatment broadly involves treating withdrawal symptoms, getting the individual to restrain from using the substance and preventing relapse. Many times addiction may not be the only problem and other physical or psychological disorders might develop alongside, like depression. These need to be addressed as well. This is known as dual diagnosis. Addiction treatment can thus be complex as it needs to address a number of different aspects in each individual. Typically however addiction treatment involves a combination of the approaches explained below. Read more »
How do I pay for Addiction Treatment?
Treatment for addiction may seem unthinkable for most Individuals seeking these services, with the cost of drug rehab averaging around $20,000 for 30 days of treatment. Read more »
Whilst many treatment programs and approaches are available to treat individuals who are addicted, effective treatment programs involve not one but a combination of many approaches tailor made for the individual. Addiction Treatment broadly involves treating withdrawal symptoms, getting the individual to restrain from using the substance and preventing relapse. Many times addiction may not be the only problem and other physical or psychological disorders might develop alongside, like depression, which need to be addressed as well. This is known as dual diagnosis. Addiction treatment can thus be complex as it needs to address a number of different aspects in each individual. Typically however addiction treatment involves a combination of the approaches explained below. Read more »
This quiz can help you learn more about your use of alcohol and whether you may have a alcohol problem. It is called AUDIT (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test) and was developed by the World Health Organization. Read more »
How do I know my loved one has an eating disorder?
Telling the difference between normal concern regarding how one looks and what one eats and an eating disorder could be challenging, especially during the early stages. Additionally individuals with eating disorders will often deny and try and hide their problem. However there are certain behaviors/warning signs which indicate that your loved one could have an eating disorder. If you suspect your loved one has an eating disorder but are unsure, you might want to look out for the following behaviors: Read more »
Your loved one will need treatment and support to overcome an addiction problem and you can play a crucial role in seeking treatment for them and in their recovery, provided they want to get better. Read more »
The success of a treatment lies in relapse prevention and this is where family can play an important role. Most patients are able to remain sober whilst undergoing treatment because of the close supervision and structured environment they are in, especially when in rehab. The real challenge arises in ensuring recovering patients maintain sobriety once they get back to their normal lives with their families. Read more »
Knowing that addictions rarely have one cause is the key to our success. Even after resolving an addiction, other issues may still remain.
Our proven solution is what we call multi-disciplinary treatment. It’s why so many patients with challenges similar to yours come to us for answers. Your rate of success will be due to:
Understanding is the Beginning of Recovery.
Name:
Email Address:
Phone Number:
Comment/Question:
Toll Free: 877.633.7764
Your Name:
Your Email Address:
We NEVER share your email information.
Call or email us today. Our experienced counselors are standing by, ready to answer all of your questions. If your situation is urgent, call or email us NOW. Remember, virtually all addictions can be treated. But that first step is up to you.
Call now and let’s get started.877.633.7764
Email Us!
