Alcohol Abuse or Drug Abuse – Where can you get help.

Our treatment field offers very little for people that are struggling, people that may abuse alcohol, people that may abuse pain medications or anxiety medications or sleep medications or medications for ADHD.  There have been some very good protocols developed to help people assess whether their use of alcohol is normal or hazardous drinking.  Here are a few quick things to help. Collect data – monitor your alcohol intake or use of medications for a couple of weeks.  Are you taking medications as prescribed?  Are you drinking daily?  Are you drinking heavy every time you drink?  Next, set some goals for use.  If you are having problems keeping your goals, take note of what may have contributed to the excess use.  If your alcohol use is causing problems, go get a second opinion (more than just yours).  And take a look at this link, it can help you think through your use (NIAAA).  If you live in the Dallas Ft. Worth metroplex, give i360 a call or come visit.   We specialize in outpatient therapy with alcohol problems or drug problems before they become an illness.

Alternative Treatment?

Talking with a colleague the other day, we discussed how the addiction treatment field is a little unique.  People often ask if we are a 12 step program (meaning, do you work clients through the steps, the big book of alcoholics anonymous, work with a sponsor and other elements of AA meetings).  When we say that i360 is not a 12 step program, we get placed by some in another category.  Our experience is that it takes a number of critical things for people to be successful, for some its 12 step programs, for some its individual/couple/family therapy, for some its medications to address serious psychiatric symptoms, for some its addiction medications to help with cravings, for some its spirituality, for some its general health interventions, for some it’s significant occupational or academic focus.  So, is Innovation 360 an alternative to traditional rehab treatment, typical alcohol programs that you find in Dallas or Ft. Worth?  Yes, we are.  Addiction research has taught our field a lot over the last 10 years.  Sadly, few addiction therapists use that information with patients.

Addiction and Family Business

We were just on a panel at a conference for consultants to family owned businesses (Family Firm Institute).  Chris Kennedy Lawford was on the panel as well and talked about his family’s attempts to address his addiction.  A unique journey given his position of fame and politics (we often give his books out to familys and clients).  I was again reminded that alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction (drug addiction as well) impact people across the spectrum of life.  It was encouraging to see a national meeting for consultants devote so much time to identifying addictions and taking steps to intervene in the lives of people in family business.  So what were the take-away points you ask?  Don’t be afraid to ask about addiction if you see behaviors that look like addiction.  Talk to the person first (speak to someone with knowledge about how to do that, there are some basics to this kind of conversation).  Treatment works but it takes times, so don’t lose hope.

Five Star Kids

Betty Ford Center is hosting a continuing education programs, Five Star Kids, to educate the public, including children, about addiction and recovery.  If you have a client struggling with addiction and they have children between the ages of 7 and 13, this is one of the best resources for the kids.  Visit their website for more.

On October 15, Kevin Gilliland, Executive Director of i360, will be discussing “The Art of Therapy, the Science of Change.” It will examine the research done by Prochaska & DiClemente, and others about how change occurs and is maintained. The website above lists the other topics presented, so if you live in the Dallas or Fort Worth area and are seeking more information or training on addiction and recovery, join us at the Betty Ford Center in Irving.

Sober Living: Life After Rehab

It’s Recovery Month, and there are some great opportunities for the public to learn more about addiction treatment and recovery. One of those meetings in Dallas is being hosted by Caron Residential Treatment:  Caron Cares Breakfast Lecture Series.

The focus of this week’s panel is about living a sober life after rehab. There are some great residential programs, places like Caron Texas, where people can go to start their recovery. The next challenge is when they come back to Ft. Worth, Dallas, or Frisco, and have to learn to build those same healthy relationships, find good meetings, start a lifestyle of healthy living with a lot less structure and support. That’s one of the main reasons we started Innovation360. If you forget everything else in this blog, please remember:  drug or alcohol rehab is the beginning of changing a life, not the end. When people come home, they need additional support and structure, especially the first 90 days.

i360′s goal is to help people translate the insights of therapy into actual behaviors. To go from talking about 12-Step meetings, talking about exercising and eating better, talking about finding a job or going to school- to go from talking to doing. Whether you’re trying to lose weight, trying to start exercising regularly, trying to eat better because of high cholesterol- it’s very difficult to change behaviors, and sometimes we need people to help us along for a season.  As an outpatient drug and alcohol treatment clinic that’s what i360 does with its clients.

New Medications on the Way

Medications specifically targeting addiction’s are few and far between.  Some treatment programs and providers have been reluctant to embrace addiction medications as one of the “tools” for treatment.  Not Innovation 360.  Our experience in treating drug addiction and alcohol addiction is that we need to use all the proven tools for treating a terrible illness.  The costs and consequences are far too grave to leave out any element – 12 step meetings, medications, therapy – we have to bring it all.

There is promising news on a new formulation of an old medication.  Naltrexone, approved in the 70′s for opioid dependence and later approved for alcohol dependence, is already approved for alcohol dependence in a 30 day injectable formulation called Vivitrol.  A news release indicates that a new indication may be on the way for opioid dependence.  The FDA Advisory committee has recommended it’s approval.  Read more about Vivitrol.

Question and Answer: AA or not to AA?

Another in the series of “You Asked and We’re answering.”

The question we get quite a bit from clients and family members is this - Do I have to go to Alcoholics Anonymous Meetings to get sober?

Here’s your answer – No, you don’t have to go.  Every year people stop using alcohol or drugs on their own without going to AA meetings.  I’m not talking about problem drinkers or people that abuse alcohol.  I’m talking about alcohol dependent people, alcoholics.  People also stop smoking every year without formal treatment like a patch or gum.  And by the way, obese people every year lose weight without having FedEx drop off food every week.

WAIT, quick follow-up question – “Should I go to AA meetings?”

That answer is absolutely.  Every year people are able to finally stop using drugs and alcohol with the help of meetings like AA.  And every year people try to lose weight and aren’t able to do it without getting someone to help.  They go to great programs that help them finally lose weight (Places like the Cooper Clinic Wellness Program in Dallas).  And by the way, quite a bit of very good research on addictions and recovery the past decade tells us that people that include a 12-step meeting like AA in their recovery have better outcomes.

Be wild and reckless in your recovery, try the things that have helped others even when you don’t want to.  Odds are being wild and reckless is something you do well if you are addicted to drugs and alcohol.   Apply that same planning and obsessiveness to getting your life back.  Hang out with people that have done what you are trying to do.

Renew

When your loved one is in residential alcohol or drug treatment, they’re spending time learning about addiciton as a disease, preparing for life after treatment. Meanwhile you are going to therapy, filling out the paperwork, and finishing the homework in preparation for them to arrive, but then they do. What happens next?

Renew Everyday magazine’s article, Recovery Comes Home, offers advice on how to receive your loved one after residential: encouraging open communication, believing recovery as a reality, and the importance of community. i360 also believes in the emphasis of community and the continual process of recovery in everyday life.

Whether utilizing our services with medication, individual therapy, group support, or daily support from Life Development or turning to resources such as Renew magazine, there is help available for you and your loved ones on a daily basis.

Question and Answer: One Drink?

We tend to get quite a few questions thrown our way and we’ve decided to start answering some of those through our blog.  Here’s one of the more common questions people early in recovery are asked by family and friends is this one – “Do you mind if I have a drink?  Will that bother you?”  And what almost everyone in early recovery says is – “No, it’s not a problem”.  Since this is a blog, we have to get to the issue at hand pretty quick, so here goes.  The question is stupid and the answer is a lie.  If you want more of the answer, you can keep reading.

First, the question.  I can’t tell you how many of the people that ask this question are the same people that only weeks or months earlier were threatening divorce, unemployment, homelessness, or other punishments – if the person didn’t quit drinking.  They have seen firsthand the wreckage of the clients alcohol abuse and have been puzzled by how challenging sobriety is.  So don’t ask the question.  Just skip the drink; and if you really can’t skip the drink – call me and I’ll do a free assessment to see if you’re alcohol dependent.  Being around alcohol can release an avalanche of feelings and thoughts that often lead to relapse.  We teach clients to be smart, not strong – it’s a good lesson for family and friends to keep in mind.

As for the answer?  People in recovery know how much they have imposed/hurt/inconvenienced their family and friends.  They don’t want to do that in sobriety. Unfortunately they miss a chance to get help from the people that care about them, they miss a chance to let others be part of the healing process, they miss a chance to remind close people that everyday is still a struggle.

And let me answer that other question you’re thinking – no, I’m not trying to remove alcohol from the world.  We tried that once and found out we were the problem, not alcohol.  You can’t control what goes on in a restaurant, but you can control what goes on at your table.  You can’t keep alcohol out of the world, but you can keep it out of your house.  Be smart not strong.

September Recovery Month

According to NIDA, 1 in 4 Americans binge drink. This means that most neighborhoods and communities are affected by excessive drinking and drug use. Innovation360 feels that it’s important to not only educate the professionals about the struggles of addiction but also the general public. That’s why, this month, in honor of National Recovery Month, i360 is collaborating with Caron Texas by participating in the Caron Cares Breakfast Lecture Series occurring every Thursday in September from 8:30-10a. Sessions are complimentary and open to you and your loved ones.

For ways you can help bring awareness to your neighborhood, visit recoverymonth.gov.