Stress and the holidays often go hand in hand. For those who struggle with drug and alcohol addiction, the triggers to relapse can be found on every corner. Here are just a few of the most common stressors to plague those in recovery during the holiday season:

• Family Gatherings. Family is stressful no matter what the context. Dealing with the interpersonal issues among other members of the family can be difficult and if those issues are your own, it can make even being in the same room with certain people during the holidays a difficult experience.
• Work Functions. Alcohol is all over holiday parties for work. Whether it’s the annual office party or dinners out with different clients, bottles of wine and spiked punch bowls in common – in many cases, other substances are passed around, as well. It can be hard to say “no” during a social gathering, especially if you feel that your job is on the line.
• Financial Stress. The holiday season is expensive. It’s not just about buying gifts, but supporting different charities and providing for those less fortunate, wearing the right clothes to different events and making sure that everything is as put together as it can be for guests or travel.
• Deadlines. You’ve got to get the decorations up on time; find, buy, and package Christmas presents so that they get where they’re going before the big day; pay off credit cards before the bill is overdue or the card is maxed out; manage your schedule so that you can get to all the right events – just worrying about the calendar is enough stress to make anyone want to relapse and forget about it all.

So how do you handle each of these unavoidable stressors and avoid relapse at the same time? Here are a few ideas:

• Go to 12-step meetings for emergency support.
• Enroll in outpatient addiction treatment to give you structure and accountability.
• Choose just a few events to attend.
• Avoid events that you feel may be too stressful, no matter who is disappointed by your choice.
• Take a sober friend with you to parties and social events.
• Do as much buying, planning, packaging, and shipping as you can ahead of time.
• Don’t be afraid to say “no” if you feel like you can’t handle a holiday request.

What are your suggestions for staying clean and sober during the holiday season? Leave us a comment below and share your thoughts.

Nile Rodgers is not a household name, but he is the man behind a number of musical acts and performance groups that are some of the most well-known in American culture and around the world. A prominent producer in the 1970s and 1980s, Rodgers played a big part in creating the pop music that dominates the airwaves today. Working with acts including Diana Ross, David Bowie, Madonna, Grace Jones and others, Rodgers has recently written a memoir called Le Freak: An Upside Down Story of Family, Disco, and Destiny that talks about his experiences with these stars – and with drug addiction.

At 59 years old, Rodgers is a survivor of both cancer and drug addiction. He has been clean and sober for more than 17 years now and though he has no thought of relapse and fully admits that addiction takes and destroys lives, he also says that he would never tell another person not to abuse drugs.

Says Rodgers: “It’s hard for me because I’m not judgmental of other people when it comes to drugs, because to be honest with you, I loved it. I didn’t quit because I didn’t love it, I quit because it was killing me and it impaired my ability to do something that I loved even more [producing and playing music]. So I don’t really want to be a hypocrite. I would never tell a person not to do drugs, because people clean it up or they don’t. They [get help] when they’re ready to do it.”

Even close friends who are clearly struggling with drug addiction – friends like Sly Stone – do not make Rodgers feel that there is any need to intervene.

Rodgers says: “When I look at Sly, I just see the great musical genius that I absolutely love and adore. And the fact that he has chosen this path near the end of his life, and unfortunately he’s been in this situation for a long time. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen him and hung out with him and wanted to play, and unfortunately he was unable to do that, but he chose that. And I got to respect the fact that. That’s his life.”

What do you think? Is it important to take a stand and voice your concerns when you see someone you care about dying of drug addiction and/ or alcoholism? Is it your responsibility to step in or is it better to provide the addict or alcoholic with ongoing – if somewhat distanced – friendship? Leave us a comment and let us know your opinion.

During the last week of October every year, there are a number of drug addiction and trafficking awareness events that happen across the country in honor or Red Ribbon Week.

According to the Drug Enforcement Agency, the first national Red Ribbon Week happened in 1988 and began well before that in communities across the country to commemorate the work of Special Agent Enriqué “Kiki” Camarena. Special Agent Camarena had worked for the DEA for 11 years and was assigned to Guadalajara, Mexico. He was working to take down a multi-billion dollar pipeline that trafficked marijuana and cocaine out of the country and into the United States and around the world. However, on February 7, 1985, Special Agent Camarena was kidnapped, tortured and killed by the drug traffickers he was working to expose. It was an event that rocked the United States and helped many Americans to understand the deadly nature of the drug addiction business and how it affects those beyond the person struggling with the addiction, beyond the families of addicted loved ones, and beyond the communities who must pay for the damage caused by active drug addiction. Drug addiction is a worldwide issue and one that is deadly to all involved. Red Ribbon Week seeks to remember that fact, raise awareness, and use the opportunity to remember Special Agent Camarena and re-focus attention on the goal of a drug-free country and a drug-free world.

The National Family Partnership says that more than 80 million Americans take part in Red Ribbon Week events each year. There are essay and poster contests, drug-free races, the wearing of red ribbons, parades, and other events designed to raise awareness and prevent drug addiction while promoting drug addiction treatment for those who are already struggling with the issue.

How do we keep the community spirit and focus on drug addiction prevention alive all year around? Here are some ideas:

• Drug awareness and prevention in the schools as part of an ongoing effort to fight addiction
• Community activism designed to reach out to kids and parents to promote awareness
• Ongoing outreach services to those currently living with drug addiction

What do you suggest? What do you think would help keep the spirit of Red Ribbon Week alive throughout the year and help to fight the worldwide drug trafficking and addiction problem that Special Agent Camarena gave his life for.

It’s well known that regular exercise brings with it a number of positive effects. Even those who aren’t in recovery will benefit emotionally and physically when they incorporate regular cardio workouts as well as light strength training into their weekly schedules. Those who are fighting addiction – and working daily to avoid relapse – will enjoy additional positive returns when they invest their time and energy in working out regularly.

Those who are fighting marijuana addiction may actually gain some of the most intensive benefits of all. According to a study led by Matthew Ruby at the University of British Columbia and published in Health Psychology, motivation is the key obstacle to patients who want to incorporate exercise into their daily routine but simply can’t make it happen on a regular basis. Why a lack of motivation if there are so many positive benefits to be enjoyed? Because exercise requires the patient to focus on delayed gratification rather than the instant gratification usually enjoyed during marijuana abuse. Recovering marijuana addicts who learn to incorporate exercise into their daily routine not only benefit from the health effects but from the direct retraining of the brain to motivate and work through discomfort in order to achieve a positive outcome.

How can you power through those tough first few minutes at the beginning of the workout to get to the positive effects at the end? Here are a few tips:

• Take your mind off the discomfort. Listening to music, watching TV, or reading a book can help you to get through the beginning of the workout – if not the whole thing – especially if you choose a cardio workout.
• Workout with a friend. A partner will help you to avoid quitting and stick to the workouts not only once you’ve begun but on a regular basis.
• Start with your favorite part. Any exercise or workout routine will help you more quickly begin to experience the positive endorphins and other good feelings that make working out so much easier. Do your favorite exercises first to make the hard part more fun.
• Build a routine that you like. If you prefer playing sports, make that your workout. If you’d rather a more leisurely walk, then make your workout a little bit longer and make that the focus of your session. Do something you won’t dread.
• Make changes. If you get bored, find something new. Instead of running, enroll in a Pilates class. Increase the challenge by adding weight to your routine or choosing a more advanced class or course.

How do you use exercise to make your recovery more dynamic? Do you find that the new focus provided by exercise helps you to avoid relapse? Leave us a comment and let us know what you think!

Alcoholism has long been a problem for seniors and, when combined with many of the prescription medications that are often necessary in this age group, it can become a deadly issue. There are a number of stressors in this transitional stage and many seniors end up struggling with depression as well – a problem that often triggers alcoholic behavior. Unfortunately, heavy drinking makes depression worse, which can only exacerbate physical and emotional health. It’s a problem that is expected to get worse over the next 10 years.

Tampa Bay Online reports that about 3 million seniors in the United States struggle with alcohol and drug addiction – a number that is expected to triple over the next decade.

The problems that result from alcohol abuse and addiction among seniors are not much different than those that plague younger drinkers, but because the body becomes more fragile with age, more physical health problems tend to pile up more quickly. TBO reports that about 14 percent of hip fractures among seniors are due to mixing alcohol and prescription medications.

Alcohol abuse is the primary substance of abuse among seniors according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Unfortunately, the same survey shows that the rate of illicit drug abuse has grown by 3 percent over the past 10 years, too. This includes prescription drugs and other substances, like marijuana. The combination of the two substances can be lethal, robbing patients of their quality of life as well as their memories and physical health. Marijuana is far more potent than it was when many aging baby boomers first experimented with the drug 30 years ago, and combining it with prescriptions and alcohol can completely obliterate the patient’s ability to function.

One substance abuse treatment specialist told the Daily Tribune: “Baby-boomer parents who still think marijuana is a harmless substance need to look at the facts. Marijuana potency has grown steeply over the past decade, with serious implications in particular for young people, who may not only be at increased risk for various psychological conditions, cognitive deficits and respiratory problems, but are at significantly higher risk for developing dependency on other drugs, such as cocaine and heroin, than are nonsmokers.”

The hard part is first recognizing the signs of addiction among seniors who are going through so many different changes and then helping them to understand the risks that are inherent to abusing alcohol and drugs. Treatment is available, however, and seniors who are ready to make the changes necessary to live a fuller life without addiction can seek treatment. Call us at The Orchid to learn more about options in senior women’s addiction treatment.