Category: Articles

Opioid Crisis in Australia

Opioid Crisis in Australia

Articles, Australia, Education, Understanding Addiction

Australians have long had the reputation of being hard drinkers. In a recent BBC poll over 80% of Australians stated that they believe Australians in general have a drinking problem. Binge drinking is at over 40%, up from 37% from the previous year. What many Australians may not be aware of is that on a regional level, Australia leads the region in opioid use and addiction. Only Southeast Asia exceeds Australia in amphetamine abuse. Australia is suffering from a drug abuse epidemic.

It should not come as too much of a surprise since most of the world is currently in the grips of an opioid addiction crisis on at least some level. Of the four groups of drugs most commonly abused (these include alcohol, amphetamines, opioids, and marijuana) opioids cause the most deaths and lead to the most disabilities over all the other drug groups. It is now estimated that somewhere on the order of 52 million people are addicted to opioids. The bulk of the people afflicted by this epidemic are men aged 25-29.

What is more, the use of heroin in particular, because it is often injected as a favored method of getting high, the spread of Hepatitis A,B, and C along with HIV is on the rise where heroin use has increased. The one bit of good news for Australia is that they have been able to minimize this unfortunate aspect of the opioid crisis through education and injecting programs.

Authorities in Australia attribute the widespread problematic use of opioids to a youth culture that just does not see the use of these drugs as in any way dangerous. There seems to be a pervading attitude among young people that using drugs, even heroin and other opioids, is simply a part of life as a young person.

Another factor that influences this problem among younger people is that heroin in particular is remarkably cheap. It goes for as little as 50 Australian dollars for small amounts (“caps”), and the price of a gram of heroin has actually gone down in the last several years. This makes heroin a cheap and easy drug for young people. What is more, as others become addicted to prescription opioids they find that the low cost and easy availability of heroin a temptation too difficult to resist while in the grip of addiction. 

Clearly, a combination of education and treatment is the answer to this problem. Australian officials have already advocated treatment options. As stated above, Australia offers some injection programs in order to minimize harm. Yet, the long-term solution to the opioid crisis in Australia is effective treatment. There are treatment programs available which make use of the best and most recent science based methods for treating addiction of all kinds. DARA Drug and Alcohol Rehab offers the best options for those suffering from opioid addiction, as well as other addictions that currently vex the region.  DARA has a full staff of specialist fully trained and experienced to help treat people dealing with opioid addiction.

CLICK HERE to get a Free Confidential Opioid Addiction Rehabilitation Assessment.

independence as part of recovery

Independence as Part of Recovery

Articles

Previous articles have covered the basics of gaining independence in recovery, but there is more than simply caring for yourself and paying off old debts as part of recovery. You need to find employment, create a support group, and learn to rely on yourself. This may seem overwhelming, but you have already taken the hardest step in not using. Read on to learn a little more about becoming independent.

Finding employment can be tough for a recovering addict. You may have a jail record or large gaps in your employment history, but this is far from insurmountable. So how do you go about finding employment? Try a few of these tips to get started.

Create a resume that reflects all of your skills. Include work history, but also anything that you are good at that would be a useful skill in the work place. Perhaps you are a strong communicator, so you have people skills. Maybe you know how to do basic construction tasks from numerous DIY projects, include this information. If your counseling center, a local organization, or rehab facility offers job training, then utilize this. They can help you create a resume and practice for interviews. Some facilities even offer to help set up interviews or offer job placement. At first you may want to look for jobs that are not that challenging so you can stay focused on recovery without much additional stress. This allows you to get your feet wet and ease into the workforce. This also allows you to make money while looking for another form of employment. Baby steps will still move you forward. Try not to get frustrated while looking for work, it can take time but you should keep trying.

You should also start building your support system. Being independent is much different from being isolated. Recovery is not about being alone or bored, but about finding supportive people and having fun in ways that do not involve drugs or alcohol. There will be days you just want to hang out with friends or need the supportive shoulder of someone you care about. Build this support system as a form of personal cheerleaders to help you along the way. These will be the people you turn to when times get tough or you are thinking about a relapse. This does not make you less independent, it makes you human. Friends and loved ones can give us a reason to keep going when we feel like giving up.

Finally, learn to rely on yourself. Many addicts have low self-esteem and do not trust their own judgement.  This is understandable, but you will never learn to trust your judgement if you do not practice. In active addiction your judgment led you down the right path, but now you know what to do or not do to stay in recovery. Learn to love yourself again to become more independent. Give yourself a clean start by correcting what you can from your past and letting the rest go. You cannot change what you have done, but you can change what you are doing now.

Independence creates confidence and self-esteem over time. Once you learn to take care of yourself you will feel like you can take on the world. You will find yourself being happier and joyful with less stress as you take care of yourself mentally, physically, and financially. As you grow you can also begin helping others and find your purpose in life. There is nothing you cannot overcome if you are willing to try.

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fentanyl

Fentanyl in the U.K.

Articles, Education, International, Understanding Addiction, United Kingdom

The United Kingdom has been gripped by the global heroin epidemic like most other nations in the world. The spike in addictions, overdoses, and entries into rehab have swelled in the U.K. over the last decade. More recently, the U.K, has seen the arrival of fentanyl in its heroin supply.

Officials in the U.K. report that there has been an enormous spike in the number of fentanyl related overdoses. The number of fatal overdoses in England and Wales from fentanyl laced heroin more than triples in the last three years.

Fentanyl is vastly more potent than heroin. It is designed to be used mostly in terminally ill cancer patients and for people who live with severe chronic pain. Even these uses need to be carefully monitored by physicians. There is no safe way to use fentanyl. The risk of overdose is so great that any recreational use generally leads to an overdose.

Heroin smugglers and dealers and putting fentanyl in with the heroin for a number of reasons. It makes the drug far more powerful and appealing to drug users. They can get more money for less drugs.

To make this situation even more dangerous, recent drug investigations in the U.K. have shown that in addition to fentanyl, some of the heroin coming into the country is cut with a similar drug called carfentanyl. Carfentanyl is 10000 times more powerful than heroin. Officials in the U.K. attribute this development to a crackdown in Asian countries on the distribution of fentanyl. As a response, heroin producers have had recourse carfentanyl.

Since these additions to the heroin problem are still relatively new in the U.K, officials have not been able to arrive at an official number of deaths directly related to fentanyl tainted heroin. After several deaths in Ireland were officially attributed to fentanyl and/or carfentanyl, officials in the U.K. began looking into overdoses all of the country to determine what exactly caused these deaths.

Officials are not even certain where the fentanyl and carfentanyl is coming from. They have speculated that it may even be manufactured in the country and then introduced into the heroin. In any case, officials have issued warnings that the substances are in circulation.

People addicted to heroin really have no idea what is in the drugs they use. Heroin is not regulated in any way and the drugs that end up on the street are always dangerous. The best course of action for anyone struggling with heroin addiction to seek treatment. With the rise of heroin in the U.K. there has also been an acceleration of treatment programs for heroin addiction. There are even parts of the country which administer heroin as a program of harm reduction for those who cannot or will not get into treatment.

In any case, with the introduction of fentanyl and carfentanyl into the heroin supply in the U.K., people are in even mmore danger from using street drugs like heroin. The situation has become too dire to ignore.

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The Grieving Process

Overcoming Grief In Recovery – Part Three

Articles, Australia, Education, International, LGBTQ, Malaysia, Treatment, Understanding Addiction, United Kingdom, United States

This is part-three in a three-part series about overcoming grief in recovery. In parts one and two, we talked about how the loss of a loved one is especially difficult for those in recovery and we discussed the five stages of grief. Now, we’re going to give you some helpful tips about how to undertake the grieving process without relapsing.

# 1 – Give Yourself Permission To Grieve The Loss of a Loved One

One of the most important things you can do while you are dealing with the loss of a loved one is to give yourself permission to grieve. Many people don’t do this. They try to push away their sadness and disbelief. They try to will away their pain or stuff it down and bottle it up inside. This is not effective when trying to overcome grief.

Tell yourself, “I give myself permission to grieve. I recognize this is going to be a painful process and it is going to take some time. I will honor my thoughts and feelings as I come to accept the loss I am experiencing.”

Doing this is a personal acknowledgement of your current state of being and a demonstration of your commitment to stay in recovery while you grieve.  

#2 – Feel Your Feelings Without Trying To Escape Them   

Grief is painful. There is no way around this unfortunate fact of life. No one wants to experience the gut-wrenching sadness, anger, bewilderment, and confusion that accompany the loss of a loved one. However; feeling feelings is a necessary component to overcoming grief.

Many people relapse during the grieving process because they want to escape the pain – not realizing that using drugs or alcohol or acting out sexually will only make the pain worse. While you will certainly want to escape the pain of loss, the only way to overcome it is to walk through it, feel it, and continue to confront it until it subsides.

# 3 Build A Support System 

While no one can take your pain away from you or feel it for you, you can find great comfort in a support system. Surrounding yourself with people who care about you will ensure that you don’t become overwhelmed with loneliness and desperation as you undergo the grieving process.

It may be a good idea to join a grief support group so you can share your experience and find strength in the company of other grieving people. You may even consider seeing a therapist to guide you through the stages of grief. Having people in your life you can lean on while you reorient yourself to your new reality will help you stay committed to your recovery program.

#4 Keep Your Routine

When you are confronted with the loss of a loved one, it may seem like you can’t go on with life. You may feel like you are falling apart and simply cannot deal with the responsibilities of daily living. However; it is important to keep up with your daily routine. Go to work or school. Continue to maintain self-care like taking a shower, brushing your teeth, etc. Eat properly. Maintain your household. Exercise. Do what you can to take care of yourself and focus on your mental, physical, emotional and spiritual well-being. Maintaining a daily routine will help keep you grounded.

Remember, Grief Doesn’t Last Forever – It Will Pass

Although the grieving process can feel like it will never end, it will. Sure, there will always be an empty spot in your life where your loved one used to be. You will always miss them. But, you will become accustomed to the fact that they are gone and you will move into acceptance. The tears and the pain will subside. Life will go on.

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five stages of grief

Overcoming Grief In Recovery – Part Two

Articles, Australia, Education, International, LGBTQ, Malaysia, Understanding Addiction, United Kingdom, United States

This is part-two in a three-part series about overcoming grief in recovery.

In part-one of Overcoming Grief In Recovery, we recognized that losing a loved one can be difficult for someone in recovery. It can be a trigger for relapse. We also discussed how important it is to stay committed to the recovery process after the loss of a loved one. In this blog post, we will go over the different stages of grief.

Understanding The Grieving Process

According to the Kübler-Ross model, there are five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. It is important to note that anyone can experience these different stages at any time during their grief process. In other words, the five stages of grief do not necessarily happen in any particular order.

In understanding the five stages of grief, you can make sense of what you are experiencing as you navigate the aftermath of losing a loved one. Being able to put a name to your emotions and thoughts helps you understand why you think and feel the way you do.

Denial Is Almost Always The First Stage of Grief

While the other stages of grief can happen in any random order, denial almost always happens at the onset of grief. This can also be described as shock. This is the part of you that cannot believe your loved one has passed on. During the stage of denial, you almost completely refuse to accept that the person you care about will be absent from your life forever.

The initial shock or denial of the death of a loved one numbs you to the reality of the situation. You kind of go on auto-pilot. In some ways, this is good because it allows you to carry out all of the tasks that accompany someone’s death – making funeral arrangements, contacting family members, writing a eulogy, etc. Denial can last for days, weeks, or months, but once denial wears off, a flood of feelings are soon to follow.

Anger Is Another Stage of Grief

When someone you love dies, it is completely normal to feel angry. You may feel that life is unfair. You might be mad at God, the Universe, yourself, or even the person who died. While many people find that feeling angry is uncomfortable, it is healthy to express this anger and not suppress it.  

At Some Point During The Grieving Process, You May Begin Bargaining

Although it may seem irrational and even futile, you will find yourself bargaining as you come to terms with the loss of a loved one.

Bargaining happens when you get caught in a web of “if only” statements. “If only you would bring him back, God, I promise I will do anything you want.” Or, you might think something like, “If only I could spend one more day with her, I would give a million dollars.” You may even try to bargain with the pain – “if only the pain would go away, I would be willing to do anything.” Bargaining is a way of trying to refuse that your loved one is gone.

Depression Usually Happens Once You Realize Bargaining Won’t Work

Of course, there is no way to bring back a lost loved one. No amount of bargaining can turn back the hands of time or change the reality of death. Once you realize that the person you care about is never coming back, you will experience depression. You will weep, and you will feel a heaviness in your heart. This stage of grief usually lasts the longest. Depression can be a strong motivator for relapse.

Once You Navigate The Other Four Stages of Grief, You Will Experience Acceptance

While you are always going to miss your dearly departed loved one, you will eventually come into a place of acceptance about the situation. For some, gaining acceptance can be an ongoing process that takes years. While you are going through the other stages of grief, it will feel like acceptance is impossible. However, the day will come that you make peace with the death of your parent, friend, relative, or spouse. Eventually, you will find peace.

Now that you understand the stages of grief, let’s talk about how to walk through the pain without relapsing. Be sure to read Overcoming Grief In Recovery – Part Three.

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