According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), there are 17.2 million Americans who abuse drugs and, of these, 12.9 million of them or almost 75 percent were employed. This means that every day, most Americans are dealing with drug and alcohol abuse at work, even if it’s not their own. Is drug abuse a problem in your workplace?

Bringing Drug Abuse and Use to Work

The larger portion of drug and alcohol abusers come into work almost every day (when they aren’t dealing with the aftereffects of their drug abuse) and, when they do, they often bring their issues with drugs and alcohol with them. OSHA says that research shows that between 10 and 20 percent of those who die on the job test positive for drugs and alcohol. The industries cited for the highest rates of drug and alcohol abuse have death rates as high as those cited for high-risk occupations like construction and mining. This means that the issue of drug abuse and addiction is not just a personal matter. It’s something that every employer must address.

Avoiding a Workplace Hazard

Protecting all of your employees, including the one struggling with drug abuse and dependence, is a priority in the workplace and employers must focus on the goal rather than the discomfort of addressing a sensitive and personal situation publicly. Here are a few pointers to make that interaction as effective and minimally stressful as possible:

• Institute a clear anti-drug policy. This can be a no-tolerance policy characterized by termination of employment or it can make it clear that those who struggle with drug and alcohol abuse and want help can find it through certain channels at work. Depending upon the resources available to you at your company, this will vary, but any new announcement that random drug tests may be implemented will require a signature of agreement from each employee. It is important that all employees’ rights to privacy are respected and protected.
• Verify that there is a problem. If you suspect that drugs and alcohol are an issue for an employee, have them take a drug test if they have agreed to it.
• Intervene early. The earlier you intervene, the more likely that the employee will benefit from treatment, be able to return to work and be more effective in the process.
• Consider re-hiring a treated employee. With the right care, your employee could end up back at work and more effective than ever in their old position.

Helping Employees Find Treatment

If you would like to find a drug rehab program for your employee, contact us at the phone number listed above today. We can help you determine the best course of treatment for your employee quickly and efficiently, allowing you to return your focus to running your business. Call now.

It’s a new year, and this means a new beginning for every part of your life including your recovery from addiction. Whether you are a seasoned veteran of recovery or new to staying sober, developing a plan for yourself that’s based on where you are in your recovery will help you to avoid relapse in 2012 and stay committed to getting better. Here are some ideas to help you get started:

• Write down your goals for recovery. This list can be short or long, but once you’ve decided what you want for yourself, arrange them according to priority. Some can be accomplished simultaneously (e.g., improved nutrition and working on relationships at home) while others may be consecutive (e.g., first attending vocational classes and then finding a new job).
• Set a deadline. Giving yourself a deadline for different parts of your goals will help you to accomplish them in small steps.
• Make a list of what you will need to accomplish that goal. Breaking down your goals into smaller steps will make them more manageable and help you to determine a course of action to follow over the coming weeks and months.
• Organize the list according to what you need to do first. For example, if you are trying to get healthier, you might put on your list things like see a nutritionist, look up healthy recipes, join a gym or borrow workout DVDs from the library.
• Set mini-deadlines. As you accomplish each step in the process, cross it off and celebrate!
• Do something on the list right now. The best-laid plans mean nothing if they aren’t executed. Don’t let procrastination stand between you and your recovery goals.
• Do something on the list daily. Even doing something small that contributes to your goal will get you closer to it. Do that every day and you’ll be surprised by how quickly you make your recovery goals a reality.

Remember, this is a personal plan based on your experience with addiction and your experience thus far in recovery. If you have not yet enrolled in a drug addiction treatment program, then that should be your first step. If you have been graduated from an effective drug rehab but relapse is a chronic issue for you, then an outpatient treatment program can help you get back on track. Contact us today to find the right addiction help for your needs.

Drug addiction treatment success does not come easy. Yes, admitting that you need treatment and taking the steps to get that help by enrolling in a drug rehab are huge steps in the process, but staying every day and working through the stuff that comes up is the hard part. Here are a few tips to help you get everything you need from drug rehab and increase your chances for success:

• Open your mind. You’re going to come across a lot of new people, new ideas and new ways of viewing not only the things that have happened in your life but the world around you. It’s hard to shake yourself out of your own perspective, especially when you’re dealing with the emotional and physical issues that come with no longer abusing drugs and alcohol. But opening your mind to the possibility that a new way of looking at things and approaching situations can work better for you than your old way of doing things can help you increase your chances of success.

• Increase your interactions with others. For many in recovery, speaking up to share in group settings or really listening to others is scary. Learning how to have positive relationships with others, however, can increase your chances of success in recovery. Boundaries, honesty, trust and communication – all of these skills can be practiced with peers and therapists during rehab.

• Follow the rules of your treatment program. Obviously, abusing drugs and alcohol is a no-no and should be avoided at all costs for a number of reasons, but it’s also important to respect the rules of the treatment center that you have chosen. Following the schedule, showing up on time to sessions, following through on treatment goals – all of these things will help you to focus on your growth and healing.

• Actively participate. The more you share during your personal therapy session, speak up during groups, volunteer for optional treatments, and actively engage in your own treatment in your free time by reading, journaling and meditation, the more quickly you will progress in your recovery and meet your treatment goals.

• Follow through with aftercare. No matter how well you do during rehab, the only way to remain drug–free and positively focused on your sobriety after you leave is to follow an aftercare treatment plan. This can include 12-step programs, personal and group therapy sessions, volunteer work, a nutritional and exercise program, yoga – anything that keeps you focused on the positive and gives you an outlet for your energy and time that is healthy.

Contact us today to find out more about the type of drug rehab program that will work best for you. The call is free, and counselors are standing by.

In the Far East, Chinese Medicine was designed as a healing modality to stand completely on its own for anything that ails the human body mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually. It functioned independently for nearly 5,000 years until East and West came together over the last century. Acupuncture, a treatment that uses the insertion of hair-thin needles along specific points in the body, is just one therapeutic treatment in the Chinese medicine arsenal, but probably the most widely recognized here in the US.

The Western medical framework has been slow to adopt many of the Eastern healing practices, such as acupuncture, due to limited scientific studies supporting their efficacy. The knowledge of how to correctly design a controlled scientific study for acupuncture is still in its infancy. As acupuncture is relatively low-cost and has very few known side effects, it is an appealing treatment for patients. However, since acupuncture can’t be patented or sold at a high cost, like pharmaceutical medications, it unfortunately has very little appeal to draw funding for quality research to prove its worth. Nevertheless, Yale was able to explore this topic in the arena of addiction treatment.

Yale Study Focuses on Acupuncture’s Effects on Cocaine Addiction

All 82 participants in the study at Yale University were addicted to cocaine and received individual and group counseling to help them gain sobriety. Simultaneously with psychological therapy, they were divided into three distinct treatment groups for eight weeks who were given:

1. Ear acupuncture with needles places in the outer ear in points that are part of an addiction protocol
2. Ear acupuncture in points on the outer ear that were not related to addiction
3. Videotapes that showed serene pictures of natural settings

Results of the Yale Acupuncture Study

The findings of the study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, showed promise for acupuncture’s use in the battle against addiction. After crunching the numbers, researchers found the following:

• Nearly 54 percent of patients receiving the addiction-specific acupuncture tested clean of cocaine in the final week of the study.
• The non-addiction specific acupuncture group and videotape group had 23.5 percent and 9.1 percent testing clean, respectively.
• The addiction-specific acupuncture group also had longer periods maintaining sobriety than either of the two other groups.

Evidence such as this supports acupuncture’s use as an adjunct therapy to standard Western treatment. The two philosophies working together may be better than either one individually.

If you have an opinion on alternative therapies and their effectiveness for the treatment of addiction, we would love to hear your thoughts below.

You see them everywhere: people texting, surfing the Internet or talking on their smartphones are in every cafe, on every corner, in their cars, at the dinner table and walking down the street. In fact, there are few places where cell phone use is not in effect, and those who use them for everything from updating their Facebook status to texting multiple people at a time report an addiction to the devices in a joking way. But is cell phone addiction an actual fact?

According to the experts, there is no such diagnosis of cell phone addiction at this time. At least not yet. But some expect that an official addiction classification is on the horizon for handheld communication devices, one that is similar in development and effect as any drug addiction.

Cell Phone Addiction as a Social Problem

One of the precursors to the classification of something as a disorder or disease is when it begins to disrupt the social experience. Those who live with the problem in question – in this case, cell phone addiction – will exhibit behaviors that are disruptive to the general public. For example, phones that go off during meetings, movies or in public places that disrupt other patrons or texting while driving that causes accidents.

Additionally, when the use or single-minded focus on a single activity or thing, like cell phones, serves to isolate the person from direct contact with peers in social situations or becomes an obsession that simply can’t be put down, that activity or issue comes one step closer to the disease classification. Many cell phone users report feelings of anxiety when they are away from their phones or cannot access service or a feeling of escape when they can use their phones – also characteristics that are associated with addiction.

Other Problems Caused by Cell Phone Use

Studies have explored the impact of the increase in cell phone use over the last decade and the results are surprising. For example, though a big part of cell phones is contact with friends, family, coworkers and acquaintance a Duke University study found that 25 percent of Americans say that they have no one with whom they feel comfortable discussing personal issues. Instead, the average person has more acquaintances but fewer strong relationships as opposed to older generations.

Additionally, cell phones are disrupting other areas of life. While many report that cell phone use and instant access to communication is vital for their jobs, a study in Spain shows that a growing number of teens with cell phones spend so much time texting and online that they are flunking out of school and some even resort to crime in order to pay cell phone bills that can be as high as $1,000 per month.

An Australia study says that the cell phone has become a status symbol that many users equate with their self-worth. Being away from one makes them feel insecure and many develop an obsession simply from having their phone accessible to them at all times, even when sleeping, which in turn leads to higher levels of anxiety and increased heart rate.

What Do You Think?

Is there such a thing as cell phone addiction? Are you addicted to your phone? Would you ever consider seeking treatment for the problem? Leave us a comment and tell us what you think!

Maine is having a serious budget crunch and it looks like state officials are thinking about cutting one of the most essential health services they have: inpatient substance abuse treatment programs. Forget that Maine has a drug and alcohol addiction rate that is eight times the national average; in a move that is typical of the “save a penny, lose a pound” government mentality, Maine officials may be closing down 10 of the 13 inpatient drug rehab facilities.

Paul Le Page, governor of Maine, wants to cut $5.6 million from Maine’s drug and alcohol abuse treatment programs. These cuts are so harsh that the treatment providers who depend upon the funds are saying that they will have to close if the legislation goes through.

It doesn’t make a lot of financial sense though, and the proposal has many substance abuse treatment center staff members frustrated. Those who receive drug rehab services by court order cost the state half as much as those sentenced to a corrections facility. The concern is that those who no longer have the option of treatment due to the budget cuts will end up in jail or in the emergency room – neither one an inexpensive prospect for the state.

The private drug rehabs that depend upon the state for financing often get 40 to 100 percent of their budget from state funds. These facilities will be unable to make up that amount from other sources.

The Need for Inpatient Drug Rehab

Those who need inpatient or residential drug and alcohol addiction treatment are among those most seriously hit by the disease of addiction. They often need the residential aspect of treatment as much as the medical help itself because their addiction has separated them from their families and their home. Unfortunately, the Maine’s Office of Substance Abuse reports that including the state cuts and the federal funds that match state funds means an overall cut from $37 million to $24 million. Outpatient rehab programs will still be funded as well as three emergency detox centers. Those who require more assistance will need to find 12-step meetings and personal therapy.

Finding Drug Rehab Elsewhere

If you need inpatient rehab, no outpatient program will work. Outpatient programs just don’t provide the care and intensive treatment that many patients need. There is hope for Maine residents who need inpatient drug rehab. Choosing a residential facility out of state can mean a break from the environmental stressors that perpetuated drug addiction and provide patients with the space they need to get a jump on their recovery. Contact us today to find an inpatient drug rehab that can help you fight addiction and start again.

A couple days ago, we discussed the problematic nature of overcoming irrational thoughts to overcoming addiction. By believing the negative thoughts that often characterize low self-esteem, the alcoholic or addict can successfully blot out the feelings of pain associated with the negative effects of continued alcoholism by rationalizing that things would be worse without alcohol or drugs. Identifying these thoughts will start you on the road to avoiding relapse due to irrational thinking. Here’s how to change your perspective and stay positive.

Fighting Irrational Thoughts in Addiction Recovery

After you’ve journaled or written on note cards the thoughts that made you uncomfortable throughout the day as discussed in the previous post, it’s time to identify what exactly is negative about them. Here are a few types of irrational thoughts that may be causing you problems:

• All or nothing. These thoughts are characterized by words like “always” or “never,” like “He never returns my calls promptly,” or “I always fail when I try something new.” The truth is that there are exceptions to every rule, and “always” and “never” are rarely accurate. Rephrase these thoughts to account for possibility.
• Melodramatic. These thoughts often inflate a situation or event to catastrophic proportions: “I forgot to take my daughter to gymnastics. Now she’ll hate me forever.” Melodramatic thoughts make a big deal out of things that can easily be remedied. Recognize the mistake, apologize and fix it if you can, then move on.
• Overgeneralizations. “I didn’t show up for work on time because I lost my cell phone and couldn’t find my car keys. I can’t get anything organized without crystal meth.” Drugs only complicate things; they don’t make them better. Identify the issues you struggle with and create a solution for each one on an individual basis.
• Rationalizing. “It’s okay that I drink every now and then. Who wouldn’t need to get drunk with my financial problems?” Everyone does have problems, but spending money on drugs and alcohol is less effective than figuring out how to fix those problems and following through step by step.
• Quick fix. “I’m freaking out right now. I won’t be able to shake this without a Valium.” The problem always remains when you wake up. Find someone to talk to or a way to work out a solution.
• Defining your personality by your past actions. “I lost my kids because I was shooting heroin. I can’t be a good person and be able to do something like that.” Good people make mistakes, even huge mistakes. Forgive yourself.
• Characterizing others’ actions as a negative attack against you. “I can tell by the way she’s looking at me that she thinks she’s better than I am.” You don’t know what someone else is thinking. For all you know, she’s not feeling well or is irritated with her neighbor. Don’t waste your time trying to guess what’s going on. If you’re that concerned, ask if they’re okay.

How do you reframe the negative thoughts that plague addiction treatment and recovery?

Irrational thoughts are often fears that stop those living with alcohol addiction from getting help. Each of these thoughts is pro-addiction and anti-treatment, isolating the alcoholic from the medical detox and addiction assistance necessary to stop drinking. Most of these fears and irrational thoughts revolve around failure or the threat of failure: “If I quit drinking, I will lose….” Other irrational thoughts rationalize or minimize the deadly behavior of drinking and associated behaviors, and can lead to relapse in recovery.

Examples of Irrational Thoughts That Plague Alcohol Addiction

Though everyone may have different fears and irrational thoughts that stop them from getting the alcoholism help they need – personalized thoughts that speak to their specific situations – there are some generalized irrational fears that often plague alcoholics who know they need treatment but just can’t seem to bring themselves to take the first step:

• I would have nothing to do if I didn’t drink.
• I can’t be creative/ artistic / social if I stop drinking.
• When I’m depressed or angry, I need to drink to calm down.
• I’ll wait to quit drinking until they come up with a pill to cure the disease.
• Drinking isn’t really hurting me. Everybody has some type of health problems.
• I can stop drinking at any time.
• No one will hang out with me if I stop drinking. I’m only fun when I drink.
• There’s nothing wrong with how much I drink. Everyone else is too uptight.
• Drinking won’t kill me, but withdrawal symptoms will.
• If someone doesn’t like my drinking, I don’t need that kind of judgment in my life. I’m better off without them.

Identifying Irrational Thoughts During Alcohol Addiction Recovery

These thoughts and fears don’t disappear during or after alcohol rehab. In fact, realizing just how damaging their alcoholic behavior was to themselves and those around them can make many recovering alcoholics want to relapse to avoid the pain and guilt. Identifying the thoughts that make you feel uncomfortable can help. Take a moment each night to write in a journal or on 3 x 5 cards all the thoughts you had during the day that bothered you.  These thoughts may not be specific to drinking but associated with an event that made you uneasy (e.g., “I feel like I’ll say something stupid whenever I share at a meeting,” or “I felt like everyone was staring at me when I walked into work late.”) Negative thoughts about yourself or how others are reacting to you can be a serious pitfall in recovery.

Fighting Irrational Thoughts in Recovery

Take a look at the thoughts you wrote down. Now replace each one with a positive thought. Find a way to reframe the situation to something positive (e.g., “If I share at a meeting, someone might get something valuable from what I say,” or “People must have been staring because they liked my outfit.”) Becoming aware of your thoughts by identifying them and making positive replacements can go a long way toward helping you to stay on track and avoid relapse during recovery.

How do you handle the irrational thoughts that come up in alcohol rehab and recovery?

If you’re considering 12-step treatment after – or before – drug rehab but have been avoiding going to a meeting because you’re thinking it might be a waste of time, consider this: those who attend and continue to attend 12-step meetings like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) in addition to drug and alcohol addiction rehab programs are successful in their recovery. Why? Because 12-step treatment provides a number of benefits to those trying to beat drug and alcohol addiction. Here are 10 of those benefits:

1. All 12-step meetings are about self-help. They don’t do it for you. They don’t convince you that a certain pill or diet will take care of your addiction issues. They introduce you to principles that will help you to prioritize your recovery every day, all on your own.
2. Twelve-step meetings are a great complement to drug rehab. Though they do not provide psychotherapeutic treatment that you will find in a formal program, they do surround you with people who can support you as you work on your sobriety.
3. Twelve-step meetings give you a place to vent since you can no longer find stress relief through drugs and alcohol.
4. Twelve-step meetings help you make new friends and meet new people who are also living without abusing any illicit substances – unlike the old friends you spent time with before drug and alcohol rehab.
5. When you choose a sponsor, you have a personal guide through recovery and someone to call when you feel tempted to get high or drink.
6. While working the steps, you have the opportunity to take an honest look at the choices you made prior to treatment and how those choices affected other people. You also get the chance to make it up to those you hurt.
7. Attending meetings allows you to hear the stories of others. It serves two purposes: letting you know that you’re not alone and, often, giving you tips on how to manage the rough spots in your own recovery that may tempt you to relapse.
8. The availability of meetings and many different types of 12-step meetings means that you shouldn’t have a problem finding a meeting any day of the week. In metropolitan areas, you should be able to find a meeting almost any time of day – even the middle of the night and on holidays.
9. Personal responsibility for actions, feelings and behaviors are a big focus during 12-step treatment. This is a great for those in recovery because too many ex-addicts and ex-alcoholics prefer to continue the “blaming behaviors” that characterized – and fueled – their active addiction.
10. When you speak at a 12-step meeting, you have the option of total anonymity. You don’t have to share your personal information with anyone, so you can feel free to vent openly.

What benefits have you experienced in 12-step meetings?

There are a number of myths that can harm your recovery – but only if you believe them without double-checking the facts. Below are some of the most common myths about drug addiction and addiction recovery, and the truth that proves them false.

Myth #1: Addiction Is a Character Flaw

Another variation of this myth: “Addiction exists due to a lack of willpower.” Neither statement is true. Addiction is actually a medical disease, a change that occurs in the brain over time as a result of chronic drug and alcohol abuse. Each drug changes the brain and neurotransmitter production differently, but the changes occur in every individual who becomes dependent upon their drug of choice. Your body begins to function differently, reacting less or more to stimuli.

Those who develop an addiction to opiate painkillers, for example, don’t fight pain naturally like they did before the addiction. Even the smallest stimulus can be exceedingly difficult to bear without medication. Those who become addicted to sleep medications may find it impossible to sleep on their own – the body adjusts according to the function of the drug and stops working on its own. This issue has nothing to do with willpower and everything to do with physiological and medical changes in the body.

Myth #2: Drug Rehab Doesn’t Really Work

Drug rehab does work. It’s not a guaranteed cure for drug and alcohol addiction – there’s no such thing – but it does stage the groundwork for a long life in recovery for many people. Medical detox kicks off your drug rehab experience if you are dealing with withdrawal symptoms. Here you receive treatment to make those symptoms less of an issue and to move quickly to a point where you can take on the emotional work that comes with addiction treatment. When you are ready, you begin to work through the issues that may have triggered your addiction and learn how to find better ways to deal with stress, anger, depression and trauma that don’t include drugs and alcohol.

Myth #3: Talk Therapy Is the Only Thing That Helps Fight Addiction

While Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is one of the most effective, evidence-based psychotherapies in substance abuse treatment, there are a number of other treatment options that work just as well. In fact, research shows that holistic rehab programs that combine a number of different types of therapy – family therapy, personal therapy, group therapy and experiential therapies – are the most efficacious and reach individuals who otherwise would find little benefit in treatment.

What myths have you heard about drug addiction, drug rehab and recovery?