When it comes to the development of drug addiction and abuse, it’s common knowledge that genetic connections can play a part. If an immediate family member – mother, father, or sibling – struggled with drug and alcohol dependence, it is more likely that another family member will fight the same problem if they opt to experiment with illicit substances.

The issue may be more than just genetic. There is an identifiable cycle of abuse and addiction that occurs among families where drug addiction is rampant. The bad news is that it won’t be broken without effort. The good news is that drug addiction treatment can help.

The Cycle of Drug Abuse and Addiction

Let’s consider the passing of an addiction from generation to generation. A teen who is addicted to drugs or alcohol may be more likely to engage in unprotected sex, and have a child before they are ready. Still struggling with drugs and alcohol, they may be unready to undergo drug addiction treatment and continue to abuse illicit substances as the child grows up.

When addiction is a part of family life, the child is neglected. He or she is exposed to the dangers and ugliness that come with daily life lived in the grips of drug dependence. Trauma can result and many children are witness to – if not victims of – terrible events as a result of a parents’ addiction. Domestic violence, sexual abuse, criminal acts – all of these are common.

As a result, many children of addicts will turn to drugs and alcohol in order to numb the feelings of fear, instability, and sadness that result. Access is easy due to the parents ongoing addiction, and due to the young age of first use and the malleability of the brain during this crucial period of development, the onset of addiction is relatively rapid.

What happens next? The increased chance of unprotected sex, which means another cycle of a young parent with a drug addiction tasked with a raising child….

The cycle can be never ending.

Breaking the Cycle

Breaking the cycle starts when the addicted parent gets the help he or she needs to break free from their own addiction. Once in recovery and beginning the process of building a solid life for themselves, their children will benefit from a better role model, less chance of trauma, and more stability. If this happens early enough, it can lower the chances of the child ultimately developing an addiction as well.

If you are a mother and fighting off a drug and alcohol addiction, contact us at The Orchid today for information about how you can help yourself, your child, and your family to beat drug dependence – now and in the future.

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.

Until recently, it was commonly believed that addiction was an issue of willpower: those who were morally strong could stop drinking and abusing drugs and those who weren’t were shunned. Over the years, however, more and more research has demonstrated the changes that occur in the brain and how addiction has the characteristics of a chronic disorder rather than a moral failing. Very few – especially those in the medical and psychotherapeutic fields – view addiction as anything other than a physical health issue with psychological components.

The Argument Against Addiction as a Disease

There is, however, an ongoing argument against drug addiction as a disease. Many refuse to believe the scientific evidence that more is at work than an inability to control oneself. They point out that:

• Drug addiction is not contagious. You don’t “catch it” accidentally.

• There’s no known way to develop drug addiction or alcoholism other than to drink or abuse drugs, which is clearly a choice, at least initially.

• Once it’s clear that drug and alcohol abuse has negative consequences, the patient still continues to drink and abuse drugs.

Most argue that those diagnosed with other diseases would stop the causative behavior if that were the way to treat the issue. Why can’t those addicted to drugs and alcohol do the same?

The Argument for Addiction as a Disease

Yes, it’s true that you can stand next to an addict or alcohol and not “catch” the disease. The same is true for the ability to “catch” HIV or cancer, and those are definitely both diseases, too. And yes, it is a choice to initially pick up a beer or smoke a joint or try any drug and that this action can ultimately lead to an addiction. But so too can it be said that skin cancer starts with choosing to be out in the sun without sunscreen – but few would say that those who are living with skin cancer have a moral issue or a problem with will power.

Additionally, there are a number of studies that track the marked changes in brain chemicals and structure that occur when drugs are abused for a long period of time. Clearly, a patient undergoes physical and psychological changes as a result of drug abuse and addiction. These changes make it even more difficult to control the impulses related to the problem.

What Do You Think?

Is drug and alcohol addiction a disease or a choice? Leave us a comment and let us know!

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!

The state of Florida has a skyrocketing state prison budget, in part, due to loopholes in their mandatory sentencing laws that need to be closed so only individuals engaged in truly criminal acts are being locked up. In just 5 years, the number of inmates has risen 20 percent and nearly 10 percent of the whole state budget goes to fund the prison system.

This ever-increasing budget for correctional facilities is causing people to take notice and shed some light on many necessary reforms needed in the system. Mandatory sentencing is one area currently receiving a lot of attention. Florida has some of the most stringent mandatory sentencing laws in the country, especially for prescription drugs. The original intention of these laws, to put criminals behind bars, may be getting lost in the application.

Weight of Pills Instead of Quantity of Illegal Substance Causes Inflated Sentences

One case in Florida that is a perfect example of the ineffective and potentially harmful process of mandatory sentencing is that of 43 year-old Todd Hannigan. Sadly, in a severe depression, Hannigan was looking to commit suicide. He stole 31of his mother’s prescription opiates, bought some beer and was starting to take the lethal combination at a local park when a police officer caught him. Since the pills, containing hydrocodone, in his possession weighed 22 grams he was automatically sentenced to 15 years in prison.

The amount of hydrocodone in all the pills actually totaled .23 grams with the rest of the weight being due to aspirin and fillers that form the pill, but he was imprisoned due to the state law anyhow. This illustrates just one of the many loopholes in the mandatory sentencing laws that need to be reformed for the mental health of our citizens. Rather than wasting away in a prison cell on taxpayer’s dime, Hannigan could have been sentenced to rehab and become a productive member of society.

Proposed Reforms For Mandatory Drug Sentencing in Florida

The judge in Hannigan’s case admitted freely the sentence was completely inappropriate, but due to state law he was powerless to tailor his ruling to fit the situation. Reformers want more control given back to judges so they can analyze individual cases and do their job in providing fair sentencing.

Both Florida TaxWatch and Collins Center for Public Policy (CCPP) have targeted much needed changes to mandatory sentencing laws in their reports. CCPP has created “Smart Justice” with suggestions on how to fix Florida’s unjust and costly prison system.

What do you think of mandatory sentencing for drug offenses? Do you think, besides large drug traffickers, most drug offenses deserve prison time or mental health and addiction rehab?