What's new in this issue?
Innovative Addiction Treatment available for first time in AZ
For nearly 20 years the FDA approved medication, naltrexone, has proven that it nearly eliminates the desire for alcohol and opiates, and eliminates the euphoria from drinking and taking opiates. However, the traditional pill and injection form of naltrexone made the effects short term and prevented an addict’s compliance with taking this medication.
Now, Start Fresh Recovery in Arizona is the only program providing naltrexone in a yearlong pellet form. With the pellet, a person’s addiction is nearly eliminated for about a year. Coupled with life coaching the program’s ...Read More
One Foot in Front of the Other
By Tian Dayton, PhDWe should feel proud as a professional community, the addictions field has impacted the entire mental health field by being among the first to incorporate yoga, meditation, exercise, journaling, guided imagery and good nutrition into the treatment of the whole person. Researchers routinely “prove” what we have already learned through clinical trial and error, that these simple approaches are effective and life changing. Even our gratitude lists are now becoming evidence based. Now research is taking a deeper look at the power of affirmations in shoring up ...Read More
The Recovery Continuum of Care Spectrum
By Seth Born
Finding help for a loved one battling addiction can feel like a daunting task: Which facility is the right for them? Whose services should I use? What kind of treatment do they need?
There are many factors to consider when weighing these issues, but most importantly is finding the proper level of care. In order to find the right facility for treatment, it’s essential to understand where in the spectrum of recovery services your loved one fits.
The intensity and length of the user’s drug and alcohol abuse/dependency history often is the most ...Read More
Overdose Not a Pretty Picture
By Theodore Caputi on Twitter: www.twitter.com/TheodoreCaputi2014 may very well be the most tumultuous year for drug and alcohol research and policy in recent history. The CDC has declared the rise in opioid (heroin and prescription painkiller) abuse a national epidemic, and more people are now dying from prescription drug overdoses than automobile accidents. States are legalizing and decriminalizing marijuana — legislation that, just a few years ago, could never have gained any traction. New advancements in drug and alcohol prevention, intervention and treatment programs occur ...Read More
The Dangers of Process Addictions
Addiction has long been limited to the abuse of chemical substances that leads to physical and emotional dependence. While still debated by some experts, many now agree that there are indisputable similarities between traditional substance addictions and what are called process addictions. These are addictions to any kind of activity or behavior, and do not involve ingesting a substance like a drug or alcohol.Growing evidence from the addiction research community is showing that process (or behavioral) addictions share more things in common with drug addictions than previously thought. ...Read More
Finding Purpose and Meaning through SPIRIT: A Somatic Equine Workshop Experience
By Colleen DeRango, MA, LISAC, SEP, The MeadowsAs I turn off Highway 60, and follow the bumpy gravel road with its winding twists and turns, I feel as if I am entering an enchanted desert valley. The railroad trestle anchored on each side by the rustic red cliffs feels like a gateway of sorts; emotionally and physically, where one experiences the sensation of leaving one world, and entering another. As I drive through the wash and turn the corner onto Rancho Rio Bonita — the ranch — I feel what our clients describe as “the subtle shift into calm.” The glowing campfire in ...Read More
Commentary: What You Need to Know About Heroin Addiction
By Dr. Barbara Krantzphilip Seymour Hoffman’s tragic death has focused attention on heroin addiction. Unfortunately, heroin addiction is on the rise from teens to older adults.
Heroin Addiction doesn’t Discriminate
Individuals from every socioeconomic background have access to the drug because it’s cheap and easy to get. According to SAMHSA, in 2011, 4.2 million people age 12 and older used heroin at least once in their lifetime, and 23 percent became dependent.
Although heroin addicts are treated alongside those addicted to alcohol and other ...Read More
Ruled by Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
“I couldn’t do anything without rituals. They invaded every aspect of my life. Counting really bogged me down. I would wash my hair three times as opposed to once because three was a good luck number and one wasn’t. It took me longer to read because I’d count the lines in a paragraph. When I set my alarm at night, I had to set it to a number that wouldn’t add up to a ’bad’ number.”“I knew the rituals didn’t make sense, and I was deeply ashamed of them, but I couldn’t seem to overcome them until I had therapy.”
“Getting dressed in the morning was tough, ...Read More
Understanding Cravings in Recovery
By Jacque MillerWhile some folks may not experience cravings early in recovery, many do. However, you can look forward to a time during your recovery when you no longer will have the cravings and they will begin to ease within a short time. Addicts and alcoholics spent months and years getting their body used to using, so it is hardly surprising it may take time to get over the effects.
What are cravings?
Cravings are urges that start in the brain and can become a whole body neurochemical experience that translates into a sensory experience. Imagine ...Read MoreHooked on the Win
ambling starts out for most people as a simple pastime that adds a bit of excitement to their daily life. This may include small wagers with friends on sporting activities, heading out to a casino or betting on a card game with friends. However, for some individuals, the excitement and the subsequent release of the pleasure chemicals in the brain creates the need for more and more pleasure and the driving urge to gamble again and again.Just how gambling impacts the brain and triggers an addictive behavior cycle is very similar to the way that drugs become additive. The most problematic ...Read More
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Guest/Monthly Columnists
Bobbe McGinley MA, MBA, CADAC, LISAC, NCGC II, is a nationally known speaker, author, presenter and trainer.
