Spirituality is a big part of drug and alcohol addiction recovery, in part because it has so little to do with active addiction. The new way of looking at life can make recovery so much different from active addiction that patients can honestly start fresh and build a new life for themselves.

When patients in recovery take the time to explore their spiritual feelings and inclinations, many find a new reason to live beyond the material, a kind of high that exists well beyond the benefits provided by the instant gratification of drugs and alcohol. A new definition of joy and happiness – even contentedness – becomes the norm and makes day-to-day experience less black and white. Rather than create their own brand of spirituality, many turn toward established religions like Christianity for guidance. Can Christianity cure drug and alcohol addiction?

Christianity in Recovery

Though there is no cure for drug and alcohol addiction, there are a number of therapies and treatment approaches that have been proven successful for those in recovery. Everyone is different and not everyone responds to a treatment model that includes or emphasizes Christian tenets – in fact, many patients may be turned off completed by the religious and moral issues raised by a Christian focus in recovery. However, there are a number of people who credit their continued and long-term sobriety to the Christian focus of the program. By “finding God,” they found a purpose for their lives that made sense to them, a purpose that did not include drug and alcohol abuse. Simply avoiding relapse in order to protect their health the feelings of those who love them was not enough; God’s will gave them the purpose and strength they needed to walk away.

Additionally, the focus on service to others, giving up control to God, and allowing God to work through others and events in your life gives many the freedom to let go of outcome and avoid overwhelming feelings of frustration, anger, self righteousness, pride and other emotions that can be triggers for relapse.

12-Steps and Christianity

The 12-step program (Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, et cetera) is heavily focused on the spiritual aspect of recovery. Giving up control of addiction to a Higher Power almost immediately is a stutter step for some and the easiest step of all for others. Though many 12-step groups turn down the focus on religion, others embrace it. In fact, a number of 12-step meetings are held in churches.

Finding the type of 12-step treatment program and focus that works for you can be key to your success. There are a number of different options and, if you feel drawn to what Christianity can offer your recovery, there are tons of opportunities to incorporate that focus into your recovery.

Has Christianity worked for you or helped someone you care about get through addiction treatment and recovery? Share your story below!

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), drug dependency and addiction costs our society $484 billion each year. To put that number into perspective, that in nearly 3 times more than all cancers combined. And that is just the cost in pure dollars and cents. That figure does not take into account the mental and emotional toll drug and alcohol dependency takes on addicts and their loved ones. For these reasons, researchers over the past few decades have been working towards developing vaccines for a variety of drug addictions.

How Can You Vaccinate Against Addiction?

The body’s immune system must be fooled by scientific intervention in order for a drug addiction vaccine to work. Currently, the vaccine being developed to combat cocaine addiction at Baylor College of Medicine is pairing the drug with a deactivated pathogen, in this case cholera. Since the cholera is no longer active it can’t harm the body, but the body is stimulated enough to make antibodies to defend against it as well as the cocaine that is attached to it.

Drugs that cause addiction are able to stimulate the reward centers in the brain causing an intense desire for the drug. Although a vaccine would not completely protect the brain from the onslaught of the addictive substances, the immune system would destroy most of the drug before reaching the brain. The resulting high would be very weak. So much in fact, research is finding it does not cause people to seek out more of the substance, rather to gradually stop using over time.

Potential Uses For Addiction Vaccinations

The following drugs are currently undergoing development for vaccines and some are in the clinical trials period:

• Cocaine
• Nicotine
• PCP
• Meth
• Heroin

Experts in the field are confident these vaccines are going to be available on the open market in 10-20 years, with some estimates even sooner than that. If these immunizations are shown to be safe and effective, they are being targeted for a variety of possible uses in the future. The prospects include:

• Jump-start the treatment and recovery process
• To stop a patient’s ability to relapse when they leave rehabilitation
• Prevention of future drug addiction in children

Varying opinions tend to arise around the topic of vaccinations. How do you feel about the vaccinations for drug addicts? What about as prevention against the possibility of future drug addiction in children? Feel free to state your thoughts and opinions on this topic below.

Is marijuana a dangerous drug? Or is it a harmless diversion? The debate over the effects and risks associated with marijuana abuse rages on and on and with issues raised by medical marijuana, the conversation has never been more heated. With so many people saying that marijuana is not addictive and neither a harm to society nor to the user, what are the arguments against? Why do others say that marijuana is an addictive drug and harmful and that marijuana addiction requires treatment?

The Issue of Marijuana Dependence

Marijuana is not physically addictive in the same way that heroin or prescription drugs are physically addictive. Most people do not experience withdrawal symptoms of the level experienced by those going through an OxyContin detox or heroin detox, for example. However, those who smoke marijuana regularly and suddenly stop may get headaches or go through psychological withdrawal symptoms: cravings, irritability, mood swings, to name a few.

These psychological addiction symptoms make marijuana a formidable foe to chronic users who try to quit. Feeling compelled to smoke or having a maladaptive relationship with the drug by using it to quell strong emotions, relax, or fight stress can make it almost impossible to quit – and that inability to quit smoking with treatment is a sure sign that treatment is necessary.

Negative Consequences of Chronic Marijuana Abuse

Another sign of marijuana addiction is when chronic abuse adds up to a slew of negative consequences for the user. Many of the dangers of marijuana abuse and addiction lie here: financial destruction, respiratory issues, weight gain/ obesity, problems functioning at work and at school, neglected children…. Depending upon the specific circumstances in your life, marijuana abuse will have different negative consequences. In general, when chronic abuse of any drug is a major factor in your life, it’s difficult to move forward, to truly enjoy and participate in your life, or to have meaningful relationships with others. Achieving goals or doing much more than just hanging out is a special problem of marijuana addiction – the inertia creates a stagnancy that’s difficult to break out of.

Is Marijuana Abuse or Addiction a Problem for You?

Do you experience negative consequences as a result of your marijuana abuse? Do you feel physically ill or uncomfortable when you try to stop smoking or ingesting marijuana? Do you experience health problems related to marijuana abuse? Have you tried to stop smoking but been unable to do so for any length of time? Then marijuana abuse and addiction is an issue for you, one that is treatable.

If you would like more information about your marijuana addiction treatment options, contact us at The Orchid today.

Getting to work and maintaining a regular schedule 40-hour-a-week schedule is hard for everyone, and few really love to do it – unfortunately, it’s the one thing that almost everyone has to take on. When you attempt to get into a routine at a new job (or your old job) after cocaine rehab, it can be even more difficult. Why? Here are a few issues that often come up:

• Emotions. The period right after addiction treatment is a particularly emotional time, and many in recovery feel highly pressured to perform well during their first weeks on the job. Every little stressor can feel like a big deal.
• Problems at home. If you’ve had time away from a significant other or other family members, your return home can be bittersweet. Many of the old issues that were problems before cocaine rehab will resurface. It can make focusing at work even more difficult.
• Insecurity. It’s not uncommon to feel like you won’t be able to accomplish something you want to do or that something may be too hard or beyond your grasp. As you get more clean time under your belt and prove yourself each day, you’ll gain more confidence in yourself, but in the beginning, it can create complications as you try to learn a new job or get back on track at an old one.

When Work is Necessary After Cocaine Rehab

If people depend upon you to pay the bills or if you had to take out a loan to pay for cocaine rehab, then it’s necessary for you to get a job after treatment. This is the case for most people, but even those who are independently wealthy and don’t need to work in order to survive will still derive benefits from finding and keeping a job. It can be a crucial part of creating a new identity and life for yourself in recovery, one that doesn’t include cocaine addiction or relapse on any other drug. In other words, it can be a positive thing, no matter what the reason!

Finding a Job that Works for You After Cocaine Rehab

Though you may feel that you need to take whatever is offered to you, you can take steps to find a job that will serve you best in recovery. Here are a few tips:

• Be flexible. You may need to start a few levels below where you ultimately want to be, but paying your dues is a great way to advance.
• Consider school. Education may help you to command more money and better jobs.
• Don’t overwork yourself. Even if you can take on two jobs, working more than full-time in early recovery can be a relapse trigger.
• Avoid jobs that have you working around alcohol or those who abuse drugs.
• Be on time, follow the rules, and be prepared to work through problems logically.

Good luck!

Women are more likely to develop an addiction to drugs and alcohol than are men when they begin to experiment or abuse drugs casually, and they tend to develop that addiction more quickly and on lesser amount of their drug of choice. That’s the bad news. The worse news is that women are less likely to seek treatment than are men who are living with similar drug and alcohol addictions. Why? Perhaps it’s the stigma of drug addiction that they wish to avoid. Maybe it’s because they feel that they can’t leave children who are dependent upon them. No matter what the reason, the hardest part for women is recognizing that they have an addiction issue that is significant and requires drug rehab and then getting them the drug addiction treatment they need to heal.

But what about after drug rehab? What chances does a woman have at full recovery after addiction? What kind of life can she create for herself after addiction?

Statistics Show that Women Succeed in Drug Addiction Recovery

The good news for women battling a drug or alcohol addiction is they are more likely to recover if they seriously seek treatment. Research has proven that the relapse rates for women are less than for the male population. Experts speculate this is due to the fact that women are more likely to use the group therapy offered in rehab to their advantage. Women are better able to form bonds and create a support network with their peers in counseling than men. These statistics demonstrate that relapse prevention needs to be approached differently between the genders in rehab.

The Benefits of a Network of Support in Drug Addiction Recovery

It’s true that women fare better after drug rehab when they have a group of gals to lean on. In general, women are social creatures by nature and get more from the benefits of sharing their feelings or venting and thus avoiding a relapse and/ or being there for others in a supportive capacity. Creating a community in recovery can help patients to remain accountable for their actions and their commitment to staying clean and sober. It can be extremely positive, and though the mechanism of group therapy and support groups are helpful for men as well, they are an especially positive choice for women in recovery.

Drug Rehab for Women

Many drug rehabs offer extended care for female graduates, woman-centered therapies, and women-only treatment. Orchid offers drug addiction treatment solely for women. Contact us today to find out more about our program.