Addiction Meetings
Jaime Payne
Adventist Health University
There are many programs dealing with changing addictive behavior. Addiction is a huge problem in the world today and has grown throughout the years. Addiction can be attributed to substance abuse, drugs and alcohol, but can also be some sort of behavior addiction. There have been many programs that have been formed to help people with varying sorts of addictions. When I looked up programs in my area, for example, I was very surprised of the number of differing programs and varying dates and times that they were offered as well as the number of them. There were all different days with morning, afternoon, and evening times for them. I was very surprised that
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Sometimes people are court ordered to attend these programs. This way, these people can either choose to make a change or else complete the time that they were ordered to attend and then go back to what they were doing previously. I have honestly seen both ways. I have a brother who was court ordered to attend one of these programs. He completed the program but was unfortunately not willing to make changes at this time. So afterwards, we were back to the same shenanigans when he was done. Later however, when he was ready, he decided to make the changes necessary and was able to complete that with outpatient help. These programs really have good intentions, and it is great that there are so many options to make sure that everyone is comfortable. However, it is definitely up to the person themselves on whether they want to make the changes or are just going through motions with no intention to change.
With substance addiction, there is obviously a detoxification period that needs to occur. This can be one of the hardest parts for the people wanting to quit abusing substances. This is when there are changes that occur to not only the mind but the body of the individuals. If they are able to get past this part, then it makes it easier to make the later changes that need to be made. This is where a lot of people get hung up. When trying to detox, they do not like how it feels. They get sick and it makes them change
An addiction is a harmful relationship with drugs, alcohol, things or activities that brings about negative consequences by over use. People over use this relationship as a form of relaxation, reward or escape and overtime become dependent on these harmful relationships. Extensive research has gone into developing a program to help individuals overcome these harmful relationships. Alcoholics Anonymous has developed a 12- Step Program, which is a model that has been proven to benefit the community in helping to resolve addictions. The 12 step program helps to combat different type of addictions, although minor changes are made to deal with specific additions it is a very successful program. In Saint Petersburg Florida and program called
Many reformed addicts also believe they are no longer in recovery from addiction and they simply just quit. The beliefs of the twelve-step program may not appeal to everyone but the key to the program is recognizing a problem and taking the steps to correct it.
Not every addict should be treated the same. The regimen should address all of the aspects of an individual's life, including medical and mental health and follow up options. Behavioral Treatments help patients modify their attitudes and behaviors and increase healthy lifestyle skills and options. They can enhance the effectiveness of medication and help addicts stay committed to the treatment process. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a behavioral treatment with the goal of helping the user recognize, avoid, and cope with anything and everything involving their drug use and recovery (Davison, 2007). Therapeutic communities can also be extremely effective, especially for those who are severely addicted. They are highly structured programs that often involve residency for up to 12 months. It is important to recognize that no single treatment is appropriate for all individuals addicted to drugs (National, 2005).
Even just being there, listening to others peoples story will still make a difference in their life. An additional issue that these people face is hitting rock bottom where they have lost everything in life like, friends, family and themselves. One person went through this dramatic realization that alcohol was ruining his life where at one point he lost his house, wife and became homeless. The leader of the AA meeting gave him a chance to get his life together and make him get his life before alcoholism became his happiness. He admitted and accepted that he was an alcoholic and he told us that the AA meetings have turned his life around. Another issue is trying other drugs that cause a synergistic effect that may result them to relapse. I heard one of the patients stating that when they had the urge to drink or try drugs that they would call their fellow members from the group meeting to get support, to help them fight the urge to pick up a
Having thought about which non-substance disorder support group meeting I would like to attend, I originally choose Sex Addicts Anonymous (SA) because I knew someone decades ago who became a member, and knowing the person well, I have been curious about the meetings for some time now. However, the SA meetings are closed, in retrospect this makes sense for a variety of reasons, and since I could not tell them that I considered myself to qualify as a sex addict, I had to make another choice. My next choice was an Overeaters Anonymous meeting because there was one at the Atonement Church, of which I am familiar. Once again plans changed, and I was destined to arrive at the Wyomissing Church of the Brethren at 2200 State Hill Road.
I have not personally attended in a workplace meeting as I am only a casual worker. However, I have witnessed some meetings at Portobello PR as well as witnessing one at Denison street methadone clinic. As I have seen and learnt I do understand the structure and requirements of having a meeting and the different types of meetings. Most meetings require a few preparation steps before the meeting will happened this is usually organized by the manager or the owner. Tasks you need to do first is letting the meeting attendees know the Time, Location, attendees Requirements eg a data sheet. And, you will need to let them know what their roles are and responsibilities are. You may get this message out to staff or attendees by a few diverse ways
In addition, addicts will want to consider programs that have residential and outpatient options. With an inpatient, residential program, individuals live at the site and are monitored continuously. Individuals who still have to fulfill other commitments may want to enroll in outpatient treatment programs since these allow patients to continue to work while they receive treatment.
Getting help for drug addiction is often such an intimidating idea that many addicts continue to use rather than expose themselves to the embarrassment or pain that they have associated with reaching out to someone for help. This is in large part due to the fact that television, books and movies have portrayed drug rehab centers in such a negative light that the reality is actually quite incomprehensibly different than these depictions. Millions of people have gotten help for addiction and gone on to lead productive and fulfilling lives free from the bonds of substance abuse. However, there are plenty still who delayed treatment for one reason or another and suffered severe consequences by doing so. Because addiction is a progressive and
I had an interesting experience going to an Addiction Recovery Meeting supported by the church. One of my best friends has had a pornography addiction since she was a young teenager, and she invited me to go to one of her meetings with her. I expected there to be a large meeting of people, and that nobody would really know I attended. However, it was only a few females (7) and then an older sister missionary to guide the program of the meeting. They instantly recognized that I had not been to previous meetings, as this small group of women had become comfortable with each other.
In the right treatment program, patients get individualized care and treatment for their mental disorder. The treatment center looks at all of the factors fueling the addiction. They help find the underlying cause of the addiction so that patients can completely recover. Some of the programs available include options such as:
If you 're thinking of attending an alcohol treatment center, you 're probably concerned about success rates. After all, you don 't want to invest your hard earned money into something that may not work. Thankfully, alcohol treatment centers have been shown to be a successful way for most people to quit drinking forever. And there are multiple things you can do to increase your chances of obtaining the sobriety you want and deserve.
The first phase of treatment is taking away the problem substance/activity a little at a time. There are both physical and psychological effects that happen when that person stops taking the substance, they include different obvious signs of having nausea and vomiting, the chills or start sweating, they can have muscle aches and start cramping, no sleeping for long periods of time, changes in the persons heart rate, and sometimes a fever will appear. The emotional effects will include developing depression, anxiety, irritability, and crazy mood swings. These withdrawal symptoms usually can last three to five days or even longer. They are very rarely life-threatening, having medical supervision is usually provided in treatment programs, and medications may be given to help with the discomfort of not having the substance. Behavioral therapy and counseling are important elements of treatment. Cognitive behavior treatment is often used to help patients identify, avoid, and cope with situations in which they are most likely to abuse drugs. The technique of motivational interviewing is often employed to remind people of their values, as a way of avoiding use. Family therapy may also be offered to help the patient maintain a supportive surrounding and help improve a family to function properly. Rehab programs and support groups are often needed to help patients regain necessary jobs and
I forgot to mention about the many other treatments there are out there such as individual, group therapy, or 12 step programs some people would prefer the individual therapy because they don't want a lot of people in their personal business about their addiction(s). I know it may be hard for some people to sit in a group session and talk about their problems but sometimes you will be able to meet people that suffer from the same addiction as you then you can talk to them privately about how they beat the addiction then you will be able to practice the same procedures they took to get over their addiction.
Addiction is a “chronic disease characterized by drug seeking and use that is compulsive, or difficult to control, despite harmful consequences.” The initial decision to take drugs is voluntary for most individuals, but frequent drug use can lead to brain alterations that challenge an addicted person’s self-control and interfere with their ability to resist intense urges to take drugs. These brain alterations can be persistent, which is why drug addiction is considered a "relapsing" disease. People in recovery from drug use disorders are at increased threat for returning to drug use even after years of not taking the drug. It's common for an individual to relapse, but relapse doesn't mean that treatment doesn’t work. As with other chronic health conditions, treatment should be constant and should be adjusted based on how the patient answers. Treatment plans need to be reviewed often and modified to fit the patient’s changing desires.
There are many Americans who are addicted to drugs. When you are an addict cleansing your body from drugs will be hard going cold turkey. Quitting cold turkey means self detox. Self detox could be potentially dangerous especially when alcohol and / or drugs have practically demolished your life. Admitting that you have a problem is the first step to recovery but you can not do this alone. Every person is different so while one form of treatment may be good for you it may not be good for someone else or vise verse. You have to find treatment that best fits your situation. The choice of drug dependency will help determine what treatment is best for you, even the criminal justice system has its own way of treating criminals with drug addiction and/ or mental problems.