You may have preferred being a lone wolf when you were addicted to drugs and alcohol. You didn’t butt into anyone else’s business, and other people left you alone with yours.  Yet this isolation allowed your addiction to grow and and endure. Read on to learn more about how isolation can be a big red flag for addiction relapse.

Isolation Keeps Your Focus Too Narrow

Black-and-white thinking is a hallmark of drug and alcohol addiction. It narrows everything down to some sort of extreme. Something either is or it isn’t, no gray area in between. Unfortunately, most things in life quite a bit of gray in them. This makes drug addicts and alcoholics fairly ill-equipped to deal with the realities of everyday life.

This ultra-narrow focus keeps a person from truly getting healthy. Isolation provides a much more conducive environment for this type of narrow thinking to flourish. It can resemble the black-and-white thinking of their active addiction days enough to make relapse more likely.

Isolation Empowers Your Addiction Mind

Much of the reason for social support groups and group treatment is to help recovering addict connect with others. Addiction turns a person’s mind off to other people’s opinions, creating a very selfish outlook on life. Their relationships often end up broken and dysfunctional because of their addiction.

Drug treatment and support groups help them reconnect and learn how to get through rough patches in life support from others. When left to their own devices, an isolated person in recovery may allow their addiction mind to take over. Most likely, this happens so slowly that they don’t notice for some time. But before they know it, they are thinking negatively, feeling rejected, and wondering if their sobriety even matters.

Isolation Can Provoke Emotional Triggers For Relapse

In nearly all situations, a drug addict or alcoholic began their use because of emotional reasons. Child abuse, trauma, family chaos, stress over financial trouble - all of these problems are steeped in emotional upset. When a drug addict or alcoholic in faith these emotional issues with a clear sober mind, they learn to manage their feelings and stress.  The triggers for a person’s addiction may surface frequently, causing them to drink and use to survive through the stress.

When a person is in recovery but isolated, feelings of insignificant or loneliness can seep in.  This general emotional discomfort can start a chain reaction of  provoking other emotional triggers. Without the social support of other recovering or healthy people, the weight of emotional pain can cave in on that person. The urge to use drugs or alcohol may be irresistible at that point, making relapse an imminent problem.

Isolation May Lead To More Support From Drug Treatment

Isolation can seem like personal independence. But be careful, recovering addicts spend very little time in connection with others are add a clear risk for addiction relapse. When you or your family notice that you are spending way too much time and isolation, consider this a big red flag. It may be time to get back in touch with your sponsor, contact your drug rehab alumni group, or even see a counselor again. Remember, your addiction recovery is a lifelong process, not a single event. For more ways to get support during your addiction recovery, contact a drug or alcohol rehab center near you today.

Creative Commons License

Grief is a complicated thing.  It’s a mix of remembering and letting go, not easy to do when it’s someone you care about a lot.  Even more difficult is when someone dies under traumatic circumstances.  The shock and horror can make grief something much bigger and overwhelming.  Let’s take a look at how grief can become connected to drug and alcohol addiction.

Addiction To Cope With Loss

Sometimes the loss of a person can burn a hole through you.  It’s like your very spirit has been stolen from you, making it difficult go on every day.  Some of the most heartbreaking losses can be spouses, parents, and children.  When you just can’t see how you will survive that day, grabbing a bottle or some pills can make it seem more survivable.  It can give you something to do other than obsess about the person who died and your emotions.  You can finally have some freedom from your grief, but you may be setting yourself up for another long-term problem.

Addiction To Cope With Changes In The Family

When a person dies, it may feel like there is a huge cavernous hole in the family.  Nothing can fill it except the person who has been lost.  So it becomes a sort of elephant in the living room, something obvious and huge but not directly discussed.  Some family members may push others into the roles held by the person who died, trying desperately to resolve some sense of normalcy.

Those who can’t stand the emptiness may pin all their hopes on someone else to make them happy again - a new boyfriend, another child, the remaining parent.  This can put this other person in a spot where they can’t be genuine.  They are expected to become somewhat of a replacement for the dead person, not being valued for themselves.

When the “replacement” family member feels deep despair and emotional turmoil over this, they may choose to cover it up with drugs and alcohol.  Not only are they dealing with the grief and loss of that special person, they are dealing with the disappearance of their unique identity in the family.  While the family may not intentionally mean to hurt this person, these unrealistic expectations and pressures can cause tremendous emotional pain.

Drug and Alcohol Rehab Can Help Undo The Tangled Web

When the family web of emotions gets this tangled up, it’s often time for someone to go to drug and alcohol rehab.  Not only is the grief still there to be dealt with, but they also have to relearn how to face reality and rebuild their drug-damaged life.  Drug treatment can open up the doors to the grief they haven’t worked through, which can be stressful.  But coping with grief in an open honest way at drug rehab can keep the emotions from being in charge anymore.  That person can learn how to remember while letting go, and still keep their personal identity.  If you see these problems brewing in your family, call a drug and alcohol rehab in your community today to learn more.

Creative Commons License

A dangerous trend is growing mostly among younger alcohol drinkers - mixing energy drinks and alcoholic beverages.  The popularity of energy drinks has swept through the younger populations of the United States and other countries.  How much do you know about the dangers of mixing alcohol and energy drinks?

The Truth About Alcohol and Energy Drinks

This article from Web MD shows some startling statistics about alcohol and energy drinks being used together.  Perhaps the most concerning is how people who have energy drinks with alcohol are three times more likely to leave the bar drunk than those who drink just alcohol.

The biggest problem is that energy drinks fool a drunk person’s brain.  They believe they are more alert and functional than they really are.  The energy drink masks the symptoms of intoxication, but it doesn’t take away the intoxication.  They simply become a “wide awake drunk”.

Poor Judgment With Energy Drinks and Alcohol

Because of this masking effect, an intoxicated person believes they can trust their judgment and their senses.  They drive, swim, and do other activities without truly appreciating the risk they are taking.  They may even continue to drink more than usual because they don’t feel as drunk. Their normal cues about their body are off track.

Without the normal sensations of intoxication, they may be at risk for alcohol poisoning or development of a high tolerance.  Alcohol poisoning can be immediately harmful, even lethal.  Developing a high tolerance for alcohol can also lead directly to alcoholism.

Just because a person drinks energy drinks and alcohol doesn’t automatically mean they will end up in alcohol treatment.  However, anyone who drinks excessively is certainly at risk for becoming addicted.  No matter how it’s done, the body will begin to adjust to high amounts of alcohol being present in the blood.  A person doing this may develop an alcoholic lifestyle before they even realize they have a large problem.  Alcohol treatment may be necessary to help someone understand how their life has changed and how they can get it back on track.

Alcohol and Energy Drinks Not Smart Choice

Alcohol and energy drinks may sound like a hip smart combination - counteract the intoxication and feel energetic all night long.  But this can lead to a poor use of judgment and miscalculation of risks.  If you or someone you know is using alcohol and energy drinks, stop for a moment and consider what you are really doing.  Take a look at how much you really drink, how you fit drinking into your life, and if you may need a lifestyle change.  For more information, contact an alcohol treatment center near you.

Creative Commons License

You didn’t ask for this, living a life of daily survival and emotional uncertainty.  When you got married, you thought you were getting a partner for life to go with you through thick and thin.  You thought you would have a loving competent parent to raise your kids with you.  Instead, you have what amounts to another child in your home.  This isn’t what you signed up for.

Losing A Spouse Gaining A Child

Having a spouse with alcoholism in your home is much like raising an out-of-control child.  The worst part is that you have no other parent partner to work with.  That’s who your spouse was supposed to be.  Instead, you wonder and worry as the hands of the clock circle around and around.

The hours creep by, and still they aren’t home. When they do come home raging drunk, will they be angry or humorous?  What will they want you to do for them when they come home?  Make a sandwich, talk for hours, have sex?  Or your worst nightmare, you’ll get a phone call that they are in jail or in a car accident from driving drunk.

Alcoholism A Rough Ride For Everyone

All you can hope for is that they pass out quickly.  It’s almost a nightly thing now, no semblance of a peaceful home life anymore with your spouse.  They spend hours out drinking their day away, you stay at home lonely and stressed.

Being in the wake of someone else’s alcoholism is a rough ride indeed.  There may be some painful predictability about, and some true unknowns.  What are they capable of?  What will make them stop drinking so much?  What kind of horrible catastrophe am I going to face with them because of their drinking?  How will that affect our family?

Time For Alcohol Rehab Discussion

You may know it’s time for them to go to alcohol rehab, you may have even talked to them about it.  If you have been met with rejection and insults, then you may hesitate to do it very often.  Maybe it’s time for you to make a stand, draw a firm line in the sand.  Maybe it’s time for you to make a plan for you and your children if your spouse continues to refuse alcohol treatment.  Can you imagine living this way much longer?

If they show no signs of slowing down, you and your children are at risk.  You will need information, some supportive people around you, and a lot of courage.  Call your local alcohol rehab center today to find out more about what is available for your spouse.  Ask how they might be able to help you talk to your spouse if you aren’t sure.  This may be the time you got your spouse some help and your family out of the way.

Creative Commons License

As an alcoholics or drug addict, you have a distinct disadvantage in your way of thinking.  Your addiction has lead you to become accustomed to instant gratification. Whatever your whim, that’s what you shall have. Sadly, that’s not a very effective way to live in today’s world. Society expects patience and tolerance for change.  So how can a recovering alcoholic or drug addict survive?  By taking care of your sobriety.

Sobriety Is A Living Thing

If you ever had an indoor houseplants or a pet, you know they won’t survive if you ignore them. At least an animal has means of getting your attention. A plant will simply wither and die in the corner. Either way these living beings depend on your attention to keep driving. It can help you as a recovering alcoholic or drug addict to think of your sobriety as a living being.

You must tend to your sobriety every day, possibly several times a day. If you don’t, you may or may not notice the changes right away. Life may feel a little more difficult. Your mind may start to drift toward the negative. You may not feel that energy used to have a few weeks or months ago. You might find yourself getting more angry at certain things or people in your life. You might start to distance yourself from others that cut down on your aggravation and frustration.

Addiction Relapse Sneaks Up - Frog In Boiling Water

Hopefully, you would notice these changes and directly connects them to your lack of attention on your sobriety. However, this is often like the frog in the pot of boiling water.  The frog starts out in a pot of cold water. The temperature is turned up so gradually that by the time the frog realizes it is getting hot, it is has already gotten scalded.

Thankfully, relapse risk doesn’t have to mean you are completely scalded. You may have a close call and catch yourself before you take a drink or hit up with old buddy for some drugs.

Prevent Relapse Before Things Get Bad

When you part in drug or alcohol rehab, you get a lot of support for keeping up good sobriety habits. When your drug rehab is over, the picture can get a little fuzzy. So what does taking care of your sobriety look like in your everyday life?

- Eating healthy meals on a regular basis every day

- Sleeping about the same amount of time every night

- Going to bed at about the same time every night

- Getting physically active a little each day or week

- Staying in touch with people you trust to be honest

- Attending support groups or alcohol treatment

- Focus on being generous to others

- Taking care of any medical issues promptly

- Develop healthy interesting hobbies

- Spend time developing and mending relationships

Caring For Sobriety Is Caring For Yourself

The above list is pretty basic, but you probably get the idea. This is a lot like brushing your dog every week, feeding her twice a day, walking her daily, clipping her nails weekly, taking her to the vet, etc. You don’t wait to do those things until your dog is starving or shaggy mess.  You do these things because you love your dog and you want her to stay healthy everyday. Your sobriety needs the same kind of devotion and attention. When you take care of your sobriety, your sobriety will take care of you.

Creative Commons License