Category: Education

Moderation for Extreme Personalities

Education, Understanding Addiction

Moderation for extreme personalitiesMany who have struggled with substance abuse also identify as having strong personalities, unable to moderate very well in numerous areas of their life.

One of the key challenges to achieving sobriety is finding balance in recovery, letting go of the drama and chaos that a life drinking and using supplied. Individuals who have serenity in their sober life generally learn extremes of any nature are not helpful.

Moderation, Balance and Harmony

The idea of harmony is as old as Aristotle’s Ethics and Khalil Gibran’s The Prophet, where virtue is described as the temperance of two opposites. Successes will be conditioned by failures, courage achieved by experiencing fear and facing it. Potentially the greatest risk to our natural ability to moderate is when we are too focused on what we believe we should do; having failed this standard the alcoholic or addict will resort to using drugs and alcohol to temper feelings of self-pity, shame or remorse.

It can be characteristic of alcoholics and addicts in early recovery to have a very polarized view of their life, mainly due to the ups and downs which take place as the body and mind adjust to life without drugs and alcohol. They are caught up in the past or planning the future, possibly devastated by what they perceive to be the loss of their social life while at the same time energized by finally being clean and sober. Individuals walking through life tightly wound up in the struggle to meet predetermined standards are rarely tuned into the pleasures of living in the moment.

Learning to Let Go and Just Be

Part of the process of recovery is learning to be gentle with yourself; letting go of the idea that things are a personal reflection or a value judgment about who you are. Be it fear of failure, criticism, mistakes, or something as simple as not knowing what the next indicated step is, having flexibility and acceptance, embracing failures with successes promotes a healthy awareness of what really is important, how we determine our value and value systems.

Practicing balance in recovery means allowing our self- worth to generate from within. Accepting we are not perfect and life will not always resemble what we think it should, we can then make healthier choices about what we really want.

A life based on recovery permits individuals to find a better path than the one spent addicted to substances, discovering enduring satisfactions and serenity from chaos.

5 Habits that will Help in your Recovery

Education

5 HabitsHealthy habits in recovery promote a mental strength which will carry an individual in sobriety through the ebbs and flows of life on life’s terms. Mental strength is the ability to manage challenging emotions and situations and is an important projection for success and happiness. The five suggestions listed here characterize the emotional intelligence, grit, resilience, self-control, mental toughness and mindfulness successful individuals cultivate in recovery.

1. Be Objective!

The ability to see things clearly, evenly and with a degree of detachment is a vital component in changing responses and attitudes. What’s required here is a sort of philosophical approach to situations, taking a step back and examining emotions and impressions, while considering various possible outcomes with an open and honest perception. The way we perceive things can have incredible power to help overcome challenges and setbacks.

2. Let go of Entitlement.

While we all deserve the opportunity to achieve success and happiness, there is no guarantee that says life will be free of obstacles, worry and sometimes failure. The attitude that we should get what we want most of the time can lead to an unproductive cycle of self-pity. People with mental strength recognize the possibility that their plans can be derailed, and life can take one completely by surprise.

3. Be Flexible.

Accepting some things are beyond our power, and being able to bend with curves in the road gives an opportunity to learn resiliency. It’s impossible to avoid negative emotions, particularly when we meet with several large obstacles at the same time; the key is not to get taken hostage by these emotions. Keeping a steady emotional balance increases the potential to recognize new and unique solutions when the next indicated step appears.

4. Take Charge & Responsibility.

While having flexibility and acceptance are important to healthy mental strength, this should not be at the cost of achieving important goals. Taking responsibility for interests and maintaining persistence with goals is paramount to finding success and joy in life. Like the tools of recovery, this is an everyday practice where results will not show overnight; one must have perseverance to make goals become realities and the ability to overcome hardship along the way.

5. Practice Gratitude, Always.

Healthy habits will find a lasting place in daily routines with this compelling step toward having a reasonable understanding of our place in life and enjoying the ups and downs. Having mental strength is finding gratitude in the obstacles we face, embracing the situations life presents and assigning greater significance to what is really important. Whether making a gratitude list or simply taking a breather to evaluate all we have to be grateful for, a renewed serenity and inner clarity will direct toward a future full of possibility.

Educating Teens about Designer Drugs

Education, Treatment

“Designer drug” is a designation for new drugs—or analogs of known drugs—manufactured in such a way as to skirt the legal restrictions on their manufacture and sale.

Educating Teens about Designer Drugs

On the street, and by word of mouth, they are touted as superior in some way—ability to produce euphoria, duration of effect, etc.— to whatever drugs are current.

They are also named “research chemicals” and often fall through regulatory loopholes. The dangers lie in two overlapping categories: first, they can be dangerous in their pure form, and are largely unstudied; and second, they are often either adulterated or entirely bogus and made up of combinations of cheap, known, and often toxic ingredients.

The main categories of designer drugs are opioids, hallucinogens, steroids, and amphetamine analogs like MDMA (ecstasy, or molly). Analogs are variations on a molecule, usually offering a similar effect but structurally slightly different. Illegal labs are coming up with at least ten new designer drugs each year, and the internet has websites and chat rooms devoted to discussions of the effects of these new compounds.

Between word of mouth and internet “information,” teens consider themselves educated on the effects of chemicals that often have no clinical testing behind them (or do have some—on animals). Teen drug abuse education should focus on presenting the facts in opposition to the misinformation they are getting.

Some of the drugs involved may, according to researchers, have legitimate uses, including alleviating fear of death in terminally ill patients; helping addicts recover; and treating PTSD. However, irresponsible use of even these substances can be harmful. Besides focusing on education about teen drug abuse, it might be wise to explore the reasons behind the fact that escapism runs so deep in youth culture. In one study, the UK is in 2nd place for drug offences (Germany was 1st), with more than four times the amount of offenses per 100,000 people than Belgium, Italy, or Sweden. According to another survey, the US ranks number 1 in use of cocaine, cannabis, and tobacco. It seems likely that there are cultural implications that, when investigated, might point to helpful policy changes.