Ocsober - It is time to LOSE THE BOOZE!!!

My friend overdosed

It was in the afternoon in June 2017 when I witness death.
I was sitting with my friends at the drug dealers place and a friend of mine which I haven't seen the whole day arrived.

"looked like he was sick and need a fix so quick"

When he arrived it looked like he was sick and need a fix so quick to make hum feel better. He bought four bags of nyoape (heroin), and he opened them all and put them in one package. We were all shocked by this. It was if he wanted to catch up with us who were smoking from morning, he wanted to inject himself this time which he had never done it before.

This time he wanting to inject himself because he wasn't feeling well at all and he wanted all these pains to go away quick. We were shocked on what he was about to do, we tried to stop him but instead he became aggressive and he told us that it was his life so we let him inject himself with a doze of four heroin bags which was an overdose.

"he wanted all these pains to go away quick"

So I and my other friends went on smoking, and we ignored him. He prepared everything and he started injecting himself. After he injected himself, he just went straight to dozing off and we though he was so high he dozed off. We carried on smoking for about 30 minutes, but I noticed that my friend wasn't waking up or talking and the injection with the needle was still injected in his arm. There was something wrong so I started shaking him and there was no response.

It was dark where we were sitting and I couldn't see, so I took a cellphone and I lightened his face and I saw there was mucus in his mouth. I tried to feel his pulse but there was nothing.

My friend was dead, my other friends ran away when they saw the mucus and I was left alone. I didn't want to believe that my friend had passed away, so I called the ambulance thinking that they might help him. I waited for the ambulance crying and people asking me whats wrong and I couldn't answer them. The ambulance came because the hospital wasn't far, they arrived and the paramedics told me to stand aside. After a few minutes of checking him they told me my friend was dead.

My friend was dead

I was shocked and scared thinking to myself what I'm going to tell his family. But after all he was my friend and U had to go tell his family. After telling his family I felt them hurting, went outside and told myself that this is a sign from GOD for my to quit what I'm using and focus on my life and future.

Today I still regret not stopping him, I say to my friend "Rest in Peace"

I'm clean today 

I know you're watching over me and I will always miss you

Written by a patient in the Aurora Centre July 2017

International Overdose Awareness Day - 31 August

International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD) is a global event held on August 31st each year and aims to raise awareness of overdose and reduce the stigma of a drug-related death. It also acknowledges the grief felt by families and friends remembering those who have met with death or permanent injury as a result of drug overdose. Overdose day spreads the message that the tragedy of overdose death is preventable 

www.overdoseday.com 

 

Overdose Facts, Myths and Symptoms

Drug Overdose

An overdose is defined as the intentional or accidental ingestion of a drug over the normal or recommended amount. The body responds with severe symptoms because it is overwhelmed and is unable to metabolize the drug quickly enough. An overdose can cause a person to fall into unconsciousness, enter a state of psychosis or experience painful symptoms. Each type of overdose poses significant health risks, including contributing to a persons death.
Illicit drugs have a higher risk of causing an overdose than prescription medication due to the unknown purity of the substances. Additionally, intentionally ingesting large quantities of drugs in a binge can cause a person to overdose, or taking a drug after a period of abstinence. Certain drugs such as cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin have a higher risk of overdosing on, particularly for intravenous drug users.

Overdose Symptoms

There are many different reactions and symptoms that can be experienced when a person overdoses. The severity of the overdose may also be determined by the amount of drug taken. Gastrointestinal problems including abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea are common. People may also experience chest pains, raised heart rate, dramatic reduction in blood pressure or abnormal heart beats. Shallow or rapid breathing, hallucinations, confusion, cool or hot skin and psychosis are also common symptoms. These symptoms can all lead to long term, serious conditions and in some cases, death.

Overdose Myths

There are many myths about overdosing, what to do in the case of being with someone who is overdosing on a drug, and ways to prevent overdosing. These include putting someone in a bath or shower which can lead to drowning and death. Slapping, hitting or pinching a person will not rouse a person into consciousness nor will trying to make them walk around when they are slipping into unconsciousness. Some people believe that inducing vomiting will reduce the drug affects but this is dangerous and may lead to choking. Some intravenous drug users believe that injecting a person with another drug, such as amphetamines when they are overdosing on heroin, will reverse the overdose. Salt water and milk injection are also other common myths.

Overdose Accidents

Overdosing on a drug is not often something that is intentional. Situations arise where too much of a drug is taken and the person will slip into an overdose. Risk factors for overdosing on a drug include drug binging, combination drug use, taking the drug alone or adverse reactions to adulterant substances. In many cases, the person overdosing is with other people who are also taking drugs or who are intoxicated. This can mean that reaction times, understanding of the dangerous situation at hand and knowing what to do in an emergency are affected. Delayed responses to an overdose can be make the difference between a non-fatal and fatal overdose.

Intentional Overdose

Sadly, some people who overdose on a drug do so intentionally. This form of suicide is particularly sad as it can be a sign of a person being unable to deal with their life, their problems, their addiction. According to the World Health Organization, over 1 million people die every year from suicide. In the United States alone, over 30,000 people commit suicide every year. Suicide is the leading cause of death for men and women under 34 years of age in Australia.
Substances are often a contributor to suicide as the use of drugs can expose individuals to traumatic events, increased social problems and financial difficulties. Additionally, alcohol and other drugs can influence a persons thinking, reduce inhibitions and increase risk taking behaviors. A person who is intoxicated or high may decide to take more of a drug or combine drugs as a way of taking their own life. It is believed that alcohol or other drugs play a critical role at the time of the suicide act.

Heroin Overdose

Overdosing on heroin is a very common but potentially fatal side effect of taking the drug. Overdosing occurs when the dose taken is greater than a typical dose. This can happen very easily due to the range in purity and potency of heroin available on the streets. After a period of abstinence from heroin, such as when attempting to break the habit, the risk of fatal heroin overdose is very high. It is instantaneous and many people do not have time to get help before they become unconscious. Harm minimization steps should be taken such as never injecting alone and always testing the potency before taking a large amount.
When a person overdoses from heroin, their breathing will slow, their skin will be cool to the touch and they will have a low body temperature. Twitching, gurgling, vomiting and blue tips of fingers and toes are also common symptoms. Immediate medical intervention is required because some people will die as a result of overdosing on heroin. People overdosing on heroin can be given the drug Narcan (naloxone) to reverse the potentially lethal effects of the opiate. Narcan can be administered through a nasal spray or injected into the person who is overdosing and it will immediately reverse the overdose.

Crack and Cocaine Overdose

Overdosing on cocaine, and particularly crack cocaine is very common. Crack cocaine is a more potent form of cocaine and affects a person quicker than many other drugs. It is also a drug that users may compulsively re-dose on which can lead to a large amount of the drug being ingested in a short period. The drug also poses challenges for determining the potency and purity of the drug until it is too late which may lead to a person taking too much and slipping into an overdose.
Cocaine overdose can be mild or severe, depending on the route of administration. When smoking too much of the drug in a crack pipe, a person may experience a quickened or irregular heart beat, hyperventilation, seizures and nausea. A severe overdose can cause a person to have a stroke, heart attack, severe respiratory problems and in some cases death. Immediate medical intervention is required when a person is experiencing a severe overdose to reduce the risk of dying from the drug.

Methamphetamine Overdose

A methamphetamine overdose can occur easily when a person ingests too much of the drug over a short period. Because of the way that the drug works, an overdose may not be immediately apparent like with heroin. Methamphetamine can have a delayed reaction and the body will respond with a severe and rapid increase in heart rate, rapid breathing, raised body temperature which can all cause a person to suffer from a heart attack or stroke.

Source: http://alcoholrehab.com/drug-addiction/overdose-facts-myths-and-symptoms/

A Mindful Sobriety - By Annie Peters

In recent decades, mindfulness and meditation have become popular catch-words, described as the newest pathway to healing in everything from professional journals to pop psychology columns in fashion magazines. The concept of present-centered awareness, though a component of most ancient philosophies and religions, seems to be a experiencing a heroic comeback. Why now? Is it as helpful as everyone seems to think it is? And can it help people get and stay sober?

Mindfulness is often considered an umbrella term that encompasses everything from sitting meditation to mindful movement practices such as yoga. A very basic definition of mindfulness is the intentional focus of one’s attention on some aspect of present experience, with an attitude of non-judgment, willingness, and openness.

You can’t really do it “wrong” – as long as you’re bringing your attention back to some “anchor” in the present moment – such as your breathing – you’re doing it just fine.

With modern research methods, we’re finding that people who meditate or regularly practice mindfulness are happier, calmer, and healthier. Mindfulness seems to be so powerful that it is being considered a new “wave” in psychotherapy, similar to the development of behavioral and cognitive-behavioral therapies, and it is being used in treatment centers, therapists’ offices, and hospitals all over the world.

The recent rise in popularity of mindfulness is a necessary response to the advances in technology that give us everything we want, as quickly as we want it – from how fast we can cook a meal, to how fast we can do our work, to how fast we can connect with someone across the world. The more automated our world becomes, the more quickly we can have our impulses gratified, and the more we lose touch with basic human connection – to our inner selves and to those around us. As technology speeds everything up, we need mindfulness to help us slow it back down.

In many ways, mindfulness is essentially the opposite of addiction. People often start using alcohol and drugs as a way to avoid whatever they are experiencing in the present moment, to alter their reality, or to feel differently in their mind, body, or spirit. As an addiction develops, people often continue to use in order to avoid withdrawal symptoms and the feelings of guilt and shame that often result from drug and alcohol use.

So does practicing mindfulness help keep people sober?

So far, the research evidence is telling us that it does. Therapies with mindfulness components such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention, are all showing positive results with people with substance use disorders. Mindfulness seems to help people rediscover their values, tolerate emotional distress and painful experiences, recognize and respond to triggers, reduce use of addictive substances, build more fulfilling relationships, and reconnect with their spirituality.

What’s the best way to start practicing mindfulness?

Well, you can start right now, right here, while you’re reading this article. Take a moment to notice yourself as you read this – what’s going through your mind? What emotions are you feeling? What physical sensations are you experiencing in your body? Can you take three mindful breaths – without trying to change them – just noticing them – and return to reading? What is painful in your life right now? What is bringing you joy or peace? If you’re willing to recognize those things and want to try something to help you accept where you are and move toward where you want to be, you might want to explore a mindfulness practice. There are lots of ways to do this. I’m a therapist, so my top suggestion is to find a therapist who uses a mindfulness-based approach. If you want to read more about how mindfulness might be helpful to you, there are plenty of books to explore. Here are a few of my favorites:

• Wherever You Go, There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn
• The Miracle of Mindfulness by Thich Nhat Hanh
• Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life by Steven Hayes

Mindfulness is a very old, but suddenly new again, approach to wellness that can help people improve their relationships with themselves – their minds and bodies – and with the people in their lives. It can help one realize a sense of purpose and an ability to manage difficult life experiences, and to feel joyful moments more intentionally and fully. Mindfulness is a life-enhancing, stress-reducing, and luckily non-addictive path to expanding your recovery, and it’s all around you if you look for it!

Source:
https://www.recoveryconnection.com/a-mindful-sobriety/

5 Myths of Addiction and Recovery By Thomas G. Kimball

The word “myth” has come to mean a fictitious tale, superstition or fantasy.

 

Myths develop over time as stories passed down from generation to generation in an effort to explain the unexplainable.  For example, Greek mythology is the collection of stories and teachings explaining the origins of the universe and creation.  These narratives are critical in understanding ancient Greek religious and political practices.
Today, we continue to tell stories and create narratives to explain the unexplainable and to answer the unanswerable.  The word “addict” has evolved to mean someone who has a compulsive and harmful need for, and use of, a habit-forming substance.  Addiction is also characterized by physical symptoms of tolerance and withdrawal.

But why do people become addicts?  How can we help them?  Many people erroneously still believe several “myths,” stories, and narratives about individuals and families who face the struggle of addiction.  Over the years, working with individuals and families, I have confronted and questioned the validity of these “myths” to help people move forward to recovery and wellness.  Below are 5 common myths about addiction and those who struggle with it:  

Myth #1:  Addiction is a Choice

No one in their right mind would chose to be an addict.  All you have to do is sit with someone who is suffering and hear their story to understand the chronic nature of what they carry and how difficult it is to find and stay in recovery. The truth is that addiction is a “chronic disease of the brain . . .  reflected in an individual pathologically pursuing reward and/or relief by substance use and other behaviors”.  Remember, addicts actually suffer from a brain disease and are not fully in their right minds.  Instead of being lectured about choice, they need understanding, treatment and long-term recovery support.

Myth #2:  Addicts Are Homeless and Live Under a Bridge

Many people erroneously believe that addicts look a certain way or live a certain lifestyle.  For example, when asked to picture an addict, many still envision someone who is poor, unemployed, male, minority and living or hanging out on the streets.  The truth is that one out of ten people suffer from addiction regardless of socioeconomic status, employment, gender or race.  In fact, if we lined up ten people and asked you to pick the person who struggles with addiction, you would not likely be able to tell which one is an addict and which one isn’t.  None of us can truly say who might be struggling with addiction and who is not.  Judging people based on stereotypical views is discriminatory and highly inaccurate, helping no one.

Myth #3: Addicts Come From Bad Families

After working with hundreds of families with loved ones who struggle with addiction, I realize addiction has no respect for families.  Addicts come from all types of families; bad, mediocre and excellent ones.  We as a society need to stop telling the story that an individual suffering from addiction is the product of poor parenting or an unhealthy family situation.  The truth is we don’t really know what kind of family someone comes from and ought not to assume or place the blame on parents or family members.  Blaming causes unmeasurable harm to the recovery process and is never helpful.

Myth #4: Family Members Can’t Help With Recovery

After family members have worked through their personal fears of loving someone who suffers from addiction, they can be incredibly helpful in the journey of recovery.  Overcoming this fear can be extremely difficult and loved ones often need help and guidance in doing so.  Family members who learn to love and care for themselves first in a healthy way, experience a personal recovery journey. As they examine and adjust relational boundaries, they become powerful in their ability to influence and support their loved ones who still suffer as well as those who are working to maintain recovery.

Myth #5:  There is Only One “Right” Way to Recover

Some people believe there is only one right way to be in recovery.  The truth is that people have been finding recovery and discovering their individual path to wellness in a variety of ways for a long time.   Almost every day there seems to be a new idea or a new pathway identified from 12 step fellowships, faith-based approaches and medication-assisted therapies to yoga, wellness and meditation.  Given how little we actually know about how and why a person stays in recovery over the long term, it is dangerous to believe there is a one-size-fits-all recovery plan.  Remember, what works for one person may not work for another in recovery.

 
As we continue to confront the validity of the “myths” surrounding addiction, we can learn to be less judgmental and more tolerant of individuals and families impacted by the disease.  By telling the “truth” as we currently understand it, the hope is that more people can be supported in finding long-term recovery and wellness in their lives. 



Written by:
Thomas G. Kimball, Ph.D., LMF /  Texas Tech University George C. Miller Family Regents Professor & Director of the Center for Collegiate Recovery Communities

Are You In a Codependent Relationship?

A few things to think about before making your declaration of co-dependence

 

 

Popular definitions of co dependence are so broad that Jesus would be classified as codependent. The meaning (and usefulness) of the co dependence concept is diluted by these broad definitions. Since beginning my study of dysfunctional helping, I have tried to nail down the co-dependence concept.

I prefer to think of codependent relationships as a specific type of dysfunctional helping relationship. Broadly speaking, in dysfunctional helping relationships, one person’s help supports (enables) the other’s underachievement, irresponsibility, immaturity, addiction, procrastination, or poor mental or physical health.

The helper does this by doing such things as rescuing the other from self-imposed predicaments, bearing their negative consequences for them, accommodating their unhealthy or irresponsible behaviors, and taking care of them such that they don’t develop or exhibit competencies normal for those of their age or abilities. Although these unbalanced relationships can go on for some time, they are ultimately unsustainable due their consumption of the helper’s physical, emotional, or financial resources, and because they lead to resentment and relationship strain.

Dysfunctional helping relationships don’t necessarily involve co dependence, but they may. Codependent relationships are close relationships where much of the love and intimacy in the relationship is experienced in the context of one person’s distress and the other’s rescuing or enabling. The helper shows love primarily through the provision of assistance and the other feels loved primarily when they receive assistance. The intense shared experiences of the other’s struggles and disasters and the helper’s rescues deepen the emotional connection and feelings of intimacy.
In the codependent relationship, the helper’s emotional enmeshment leads them to keenly feel the other’s struggles and to feel guilt at the thought of limiting their help or terminating the relationship. This motivates them to reduce the other’s suffering (and their own) by continued helping and makes them quick to back off of any limits they set.

Helpers prone to codependent relationships often find intimacy in relationships where their primary role is that of rescuer, supporter, and confidante. These helpers are often dependent on the other’s poor functioning to satisfy emotional needs such as the need to feel needed, and the need to keep the other close due to fears of abandonment. 

Feeling competent (relative to the other) also boosts the low self-esteem of some helpers.
In the codependent relationship, the other’s dependence on the helper is also profound. The other is bound to the helper because the helper’s lengthy aid has impeded their maturity, life skills, or confidence, or enabled their addiction, or poor mental or physical health, making them dependent on the helper’s assistance. Their poor functioning brings them needed love, care, and concern from the helper, further reducing their motivation to change.

Due to their below average functioning, these others may have few relationships as close as their relationship with the helper. This makes them highly dependent on the helper to satisfy many of the needs met by close relationships (such as the need to matter to someone and the need for care). It is this high degree of mutual, unhealthy dependence on the part of both the helper and the other that makes the relationship “codependent” and resistant to change 

While it’s true that some dysfunctional helping relationships are indeed codependent, and it’s also true that co dependence may arise from some of your personality traits, be cautious in your adoption of the co-dependent moniker. Or at least don’t wave it around like a flag of fate (“I’m codependent and I can’t help myself because that’s just what I do!”). And keep in mind that dysfunctional helping is complex. It’s motivated by a variety of factors and shouldn’t be reduced to simple notions of co dependence

Shawn M. Burn Ph.D. 

Posted Jul 14, 2013 

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/presence-mind/201307/are-you-in-codependent-relationship

Goodbye letter to alcohol - by A hangover free life

 

Dear Alcohol

You have been the one constant in my life.  From my earliest memories you were always there, firstly in the life of my parents on a daily basis and once I looked old enough to get served in mine.  You were a factor in the choices that I made and with the friends and partners that I chose.  I have never known a time when you weren’t important to someone close to me or to me.

I always viewed you as a Jekyll and Hyde character, sometimes making those close to me more affectionate and then at other times causing anger and violence. I spent much of my childhood fearful of you and the effect and power that you seemed to have.  Those involved with you seemed to prioritize you over everyone else.  But you were who people I knew chose to help them in times of good and bad and so I learned the same message and the same way of being.

When I joined the dance with you, you appeared benign even helpful.  You gave me confidence, made me bigger, louder and funnier than the person I felt I was.  You were my side-kick in all my adventures whether here at home or overseas.  You helped me forget difficult memories and emotions and smoothed over the rough edges in my life.

I partied with you for almost twenty years never questioning your influence, even though during those times I worked as a nurse on a ward where you had done serious damage to other people and they were dying because of you.  They wanted to choose you over anything and everything else.  But I still didn’t see it.

But then I wanted to have children and people were telling me that you were bad for me and so I scaled back our dalliance, joining you only for short but stupendously large blow outs.  I resented that I couldn’t have you in my life as much as you had been in the past.  We had to separate for two short periods while I cared for my unborn babies but I still stole the odd clandestine night, missing you badly.

Once the children arrived life with you became much more difficult and I had to make choices against you, limiting our time together or the intensity of our time together.  This is when I began to realize that our relationship was problematic and was having a serious impact on my other now important relationships.

I began to bargain with you, set myself limits about how often and how long and I tried to stay away from you.  Plus our time together had changed.  Before it was mostly fun and I enjoyed our time together whereas now this seemed to have gone and had been replaced by something darker.  I was more out of control in our time together and this scared me.  You seemed to have taken the upper hand in the relationship and were more insistent and controlling.

I was also trying to give up other relationships that had served me well up until that point but that I could no longer ignore was damaging.  But that relationship was also linked to my time with you and so when I stopped this relationship with nicotine I knew I had to stay away from you too, at least until I had got over that one and could spend time with you and not miss them.

You grew angry at my withdrawal and would harp incessantly in my ear until I would relent and come back to you but the next day I would hate you and hate myself for giving in.  This pull and push has gone on for 5 years and now I am sick of you, sick of the way you make me feel and think about myself, sick of the stupid things I say and do when with you and I don’t enjoy your company any more.

So I have decided to say good bye.  I have decided to try and live my life without you.  You were furious when I made this decision and upped your rhetoric about how useless I was and how I would never survive a party or a difficult time without you.   But I held steadfast and it has been over three months.

You were right, it was hard and at times still is, but I know I have made the right decision.  I have experienced the joy of living without you and your voice has grown fainter and your power has lessened.  Other people still think you are important and want to spend time with you and that is fine.  This decision is about me and no one else and has been one of the hardest I have ever had to make but I feel stronger and more confident in myself and my life without you.

I have fond memories of you in the beginning but we can’t recreate those early days and I know that we never will.   What was once benign is now very much malignant and I must move on.  It is time to forge a new path without you.

Good-bye.

http://ahangoverfreelife.com/2013/12/31/goodbye-letter-to-alcohol/