Featured Rehabilitation Program: Mountainside Treatment Center

Connecticut

One of the most difficult things for a person with a substance abuse addiction, or the family of someone that abuses illegal substances, can be choosing the right rehabilitation program. That is why, here at The NA Blog, we will be running a series of informative articles featuring treatment centers with the hopes of offering treatment options. This week’s featured rehabilitation program is the Mountainside Treatment Center, located in Canaan, Connecticut.

The Mountainside Treatment Center has been successfully treating adults who suffer from drug and alcohol addiction for more than 11 years. It is a non-profit rehabilitation program and has a full staff of licensed and certified professionals, trained in a wide variety of counseling techniques.

One of the distinguishing qualities of The Mountainside Treatment Center is that it offers Individual, Group, Gender Specific and Family Counseling as well as a full Mind Body Wellness Program consisting of Yoga, Guided Meditation for relaxation, and Tai Chi. The Treatment Center also offers an assortment of fellowship meetings like 12 Steps programs and education workshops, such as “Nicotine Recovery.”

Additionally, the Mountainside Treatment Center offers a full Adventure Based Initiatives Program, complete with a Low Ropes Course under the guidance of our Adventure Based Counselors. Visit the website to learn more. http://www.mountainside.org/drug-rehab

Recovery Testimonial: Painkiller Predicament

The NA Blog would like to share this moving and enlightening testimonial written by a recovering addict about their struggle with a prescription drug addiction and the wonders that the internet plays in 21st Century recovery. Please keep in mind that the author’s identity has been kept anonymous for the sake of maintaining the basic premise within NA of anonymity.

Painkiller Predicament

As I sit down to write this, I still can’t believe that this is my story. My name is Nicole and I was a competitive bicycle racer for many years. I wasn’t pro or anything but I loved riding my bike fast. I was physically fit, never a smoker or big drinker and my only real addiction was clipping in and riding. One morning I was out on a training run and a car turned left in front of me leaving me no time to stop. I flew over the hood and landed flat on my back. The first thing I did was wiggle my fingers and toes and thank the lord they all moved. I knew I wasn’t paralyzed but I couldn’t stand up or move. After the ambulance, the lawsuit and countless hours of physical therapy I found myself addicted to pain medication.

I don’t have an ugly story of addiction to tell. I never woke up in a strange place covered in vomit. I never sold all of my possessions or lost the deed to my house. But I was an addict nonetheless. I couldn’t get off the painkillers. I kept upping my dosage all on my own. I just didn’t think I was ‘one of those people’, an addict. It was easy for me to rationalize that addicts are all homeless people or that if I was able to go to work I must be fine. However the pills affected my personality, my relationships, my habits and all the other parts of my life. Finally I found help through a website filled with real honest people who had experiences similar to my own. I learned that addiction is a disease and it can affect ANYBODY. Nobody is ‘too good’ to be addicted.

I was taking an ungodly number of pills to kill the pain of depression, my backache and to keep me out of withdrawal for not taking enough pills! I was barely managing to keep my job and I knew I needed help. I was a shell of the athletic and outgoing person that I was. I knew I needed help and enrolling in rehab saved my life.

I want to share my story because there are millions of Americans out there addicted to prescription drugs. My addiction snuck up on me after a devastating accident and my growing addiction to the meds just made everything worse. I was a working professional woman with a good head on her shoulders. I was an athlete and proud of my body but my body took control of me for a while. I needed help and I asked for it. Please, if my story strikes a chord with you, please do not be afraid to ask for help. There are people out there waiting to help you become whole again.

Recovery Testimonial: Choosing the Right Rehab Program

Rehab Program

The NA Blog would like to share this emotionally gripping testimonial written by a recovering addict about the importance of choosing the correct rehab program for making a recovery.  Please keep in mind that the author’s identity has been kept anonymous for the sake of maintaining the basic premise within NA of anonymity.

Choosing the right rehab program

I’m not proud of where I have been, but I am about where my life is going.  If opening myself up to my past and helping others learn from it can save them from the nightmares and the horror stories of addiction that used to cloud my life, then it’s an exercise well worth it.

One of the things I was really nervous about when I started trying to get clean was deciding which rehab program would be right for me. I had a lot of wrong ideas back then, but now having completed it all, I’m hopeful that I can help others find a place worth their time that gives them the kind of attention and care that they deserve.

Here are 6 things anyone should think about when deciding on a substance abuse treatment and rehabilitation program according to the :
1. Is there ongoing assessment of an individual’s treatment plan to ensure it meets changing needs? As you move through each phase of your treatment you’ll notice your needs change and your treatment needs to keep pace with that.
2. Does the program employ strategies to engage and keep individuals in longer-term treatment, increasing the likelihood of success? You didn’t become an addict in one day and you aren’t going to become healthy in one day either.
3. Does the program offer counseling (individual and group) and other behavioral therapies to enhance the individual’s ability to function in the family/community? Staying sober in rehab isn’t easy, but it’s a lot easier than staying sober after you get back home. Make sure your program is ready to help with that transition.
4. Does the program offer medication as part of the treatment regimen, if appropriate? Some patients benefit from a wide range of addiction inhibitors including antibuse or methadone. Be sure your rehab center is fully equipped.
5. Is there ongoing monitoring of possible relapse to help guide patients back to abstinence? If you learn nothing else from me… always remember this, you can’t be your own sponsor just like you can’t be your own shadow!
6. Are services or referrals offered to family members to ensure they understand addiction and the recovery process to help them support the recovering individual? Addiction is a disease. It doesn’t only affect the addict, it affects everyone you know and interact with. Make sure the treatment includes your loved ones, they need help healing too!

Teenage Narcotic Use

Teen use of narcotics is an overwhelming problem among parents today. With the pressures of high school, not being able to connect with your teen during these times of young adulthood can be difficult as they are learning and growing in their own ways. Making mistakes is part of being a teenager but being a go-to parent and teaching your teen the consequences of Substance Abuse, is most important.

If your child has a substance abuse problem, including marijuana use, get them to a local teen group meeting. They are out there and more frequent than you think. You could also attend some Narcotics Anonymous meetings yourself. Even though pot’s not a narcotic, I promise hearing some of these people tell their stories would have an effect on you.

Marijuana has always been said to be the ‘gateway drug’ and I strongly agree with that. Teens feel like ‘oh, well its just a little weed, what could it hurt?’ but that kind of thought process is one that you then access EVERY TIME your faced with a new drug. ‘Oh well I did try weed and nothing happened, so why not cocaine?’ Once that initial boundary is crossed its hard to find the same mentality as you had before.

You may ask yourself, what can I do to prevent my teen from becoming so irresponsible and naive? Its simple, recognition is the first step. combined with the knowledge to do better, it can make approaching your son/daughter much easier and provide less tension.

Here is a great Group Support Link.

  • Recovery Connection: This website focuses more on helping you find group support. Many argue that group support is a good first step is helping you realize that you have a problem. The website aims to connect you to every possible group support out there ranging from Overeaters Anonymous to Codependents Anonymous. Search within your state for a support Teen Narcotic group meeting near you

Keeping your Teen clear of drugs, will help prepare them for the tedious road into Adulthood. Help give your teen the opportunity of a life time and be DRUG FREE. Talk to them and keep them, as well as yourself, INFORMED.

In the Rooms: A Global Recovery Site

Another great way to help in the road to Narcotic Recovery is In The Rooms. This is the premier, most comprehensive online social network for the Recovery community worldwide. Their mantra is known as H.I.T.C.H. which means to Help, Inform, Touch, Connect and Heal those already in Recovery, seeking Recovery and the family and friends whom support Recovery around the globe.

The site has so many different people from all walks of life and helps connect you to others who share a similar story of addiction. With thousands of personal profiles, users can choose to join a particular fellowship is he/she desires. Virtual meetings, speaker libraries, daily meditations and affinity groups help make this the best online social network for the Recovery community worldwide.

Prescription Painkiller Abuse on the Rise

The abuse of prescription painkillers has risen dramatically in the U.S. over the past decade. Of particular concern is the abuse of pain medications containing opiates (also known as narcotic analgesics), marketed under such brand names as Vicodin, OxyContin, Percocet, Demerol, and Darvon.

According to the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN), the incidence of emergency department (ED) visits related to narcotic analgesic abuse has been increasing in the U.S. since the mid-1990s, and more than doubled between 1994 and 2001.

Here are some interesting statistics that I recently came across in my research from The US Department of Health and Human Service.

  • In 2004, there were an estimated 90,232 ED visits related to narcotic analgesic abuse, a 117 percent increase since 1997.
  • Nationally, narcotic analgesics were involved in 14 percent of all drug abuse-related ED visits in 2004.
  • In 2001, approximately one-third of the narcotic analgesics reported to DAWN were not specified by name (32,196 mentions). Among the named narcotic analgesics, hydrocodone led with 21,567 mentions, followed by oxycodone (18,409 mentions).
  • Oxycodone mentions increased 70 percent from 2000 to 2001, compared to the 186 percent surge in mentions from 1999 to 2000. However, mentions of most narcotic analgesics did not increase from 2000 to 2001.
  • Dependence was the most frequently mentioned motive for narcotic analgesic abuse cases (38,941), followed by suicide (24,576), psychic effects (13,949), unknown motive (11,039), and other motives (1,727).
  • In 2001, the average age was 37 for patients who attended the ED because of narcotic analgesic abuse.

These statistics may frighten many but for some it is a clear indication of the power of narcotics over the mind, body and soul. Getting help for a prescription drug addiction can be difficult for those under the 24 hour influence of such powerful narcotics. If you know someone struggling with this type of an addiction, offer them help. Whether that be a shoulder to cry on or a helping hand towards rehabilitation, it is important to always remember to help others in need.

Help Overcome Your Addiction

Why is it that people resort to Narcotics? Is it the high? The fact that your friends are doing it? Or could it just be that were your not happy with yourself? These are tuff questions to have to answer, and most addicts don’t know why. They refuse to see the fact that this goes far beyond the high.

Discovering the roots of your problems is a long and emotional road that most would rather keep in a box, under lock and key far in the back of their minds and some may never come to terms with their issues.

Typically, you can recognize a narcotic abuse problem because taking narcotics disrupts an individual’s every life. Narcotic users can build up social, physical and mental problems and destroy personal relationships. Some reports state that narcotics abuse cost the US $10 billion each year in terms of care and treatment.

An opioid is a chemical substance that has a morphine-like action in the body. The main use is for pain relief. These agents work by binding to opioid receptors, which are found principally in the central nervous system and the gastrointestinal tract. The receptors in these two organ systems mediate both the beneficial effects, and the undesirable side effects.

The realization of wanting to get help is a huge first step and should be taken with caution. Joining an online recovery group is a great way to start helping you get through that first step. You have the opportunity to hear others stories of addiction and recovery and even make online friends and get that needed ‘push’ that you need.

FINDING HOPE

Welcome to the Narcotics Anonymous Blog!

You may ask yourself what is Narcotics Anonymous all about? The core of the Narcotics Anonymous recovery program is the Twelve Steps, which begins with the realization of an addiction problem, seeking the appropriate help, engaging in a thorough self-examination, confidential self-disclosure, making amends for harm done, and helping drug addicts who want to recover.

Narcotics Anonymous is an international, community-based association of recovering drug addicts with more than 43,900 weekly meetings in over 127 countries worldwide.

There are 12 common traditions in the Narcotics Anonymous community outside of the traditional 12 steps. Just as freedom for the individual comes from the Twelve Steps, so freedom for the group springs from their Traditions.

1. Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends on NA unity.

2. For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority—a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted          servants; they do not govern.

3. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop using.

4. Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or NA as a whole.

5. Each group has but one primary purpose—to carry the message to the addict who still suffers.

6. An NA group ought never endorse, finance, or lend the NA name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property, or prestige         divert us from our primary purpose.

7. Every NA group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions.

8. Narcotics Anonymous should remain forever nonprofessional, but our service centers may employ special workers.

9. NA, as such, ought never be organized, but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve.

10. Narcotics Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence the NA name ought never be drawn into public controversy.

11. Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio, and films.

12. Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our Traditions,ever reminding us to place Principles before Personalities.

Narcotics Anonymous sprang from the Alcoholics Anonymous Program of the late 1940s, with meetings first emerging in the Los Angeles area of California, USA, in the early Fifties. The NA program started as a small US movement that has grown into one of the world’s oldest and largest organizations of its type.

Membership is open to all drug addicts, regardless of the particular drug or combination of drugs used. When adapting AA’s First Step, the word “addiction” was substituted for “alcohol,” thus removing drug-specific language and reflecting the “disease concept” of addiction.

Keep checking back to thenablog.com in the future to find more useful and informative views, opinions and various subjects on Narcotics Anonymous.