Live Rehab

Effects of Psychoactive Substances

By Leave a Comment

psychoactive substances

Behavioral Effects of Psychoactive Substances

Psychoactive substances affect the behavior of people using.  Different substances affect different behaviors.  For example, those who abuse alcohol may behave violently or belligerently.  Those who abuse opioids may behave neglectfully.  Not everyone behaves the same of course but it’s important for addiction professionals to understand how different psychoactive substances affect behavior.

Psychological Effects of Psychoactive Substances

The age old question: what came first?  The addiction or the mental health struggle?  This is important for addiction professionals to understand and uncover when working with clients.  For example, did smoking marijuana cause their client’s anxiety or did their client smoke marijuana to try and get rid of their anxiety?  Different substances have different psychological effects and it’s crucial for professionals to recognize this.

Physical Effects of Psychoactive Substances

Psychoactive substances have different physical effects too.  While some effects are behavior related it’s important to know what kinds of physical effects different substances can cause.  For example, opioids can cause constipation and alcohol can cause high blood pressure. Outward physical effects are more noticeable but the addiction professional should always ask the important questions and provide resources to a medical doctor if needed.    

Social Effects of Psychoactive Substances

Some psychoactive substances are more social than others but when thinking about the social effects it is important for the addiction professional to gain cultural knowledge.  For example, alcohol is often culturally accepted and when someone quits alcohol it can be shown as a sign of weakness.  Other social factors to consider would be poverty and wealth.  Addiction doesn’t just affect the poor it equally affects the rich but in different ways.  Just because someone has a ton of money and can dress and look the part, doesn’t mean they are struggling any less. Addiction professionals need to be aware of this.

Effects on Significant Others

All of these effects can affect significant others incomprehensible ways oftentimes leading to exhaustion. Also, it’s important to connect the relationship between infectious diseases such as sexually transmitted infections and substance use.  Significant others can be impacted.

Addiction professionals need to be sensitive to all of these influences and how the development of addiction progresses.  I.E. initiation, intoxication, harmful use, abuse, dependence, withdrawal, craving, relapse, and recovery.  [clickToTweet tweet=”Addiction professionals need to be interested in new research and findings so they can bring the latest developments.” quote=”Addiction professionals need to be interested in new research and findings so they can bring the latest developments to their practice ” theme=”style6″]to benefit their continuous efforts when working with clients.

What it takes to be an Addiction Professional

By Leave a Comment

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

The addiction field is a complicated topic.

There are many types of addictions ranging from substances to behaviors. An addiction professional should have a broad range of understanding the many models and theories of addiction as well as physical, psychological and social problems related to using substances or engaging in dangerous, addictive behaviors.

This means that an addiction professional should be competent in research and theory both scientific and theoretical. In addition, an addiction professional needs to understand the criteria and methods involved in evaluations of models and theories and how to appropriately apply it to their practice. Because the science and research is constantly evolving it’s equally important for an addiction professional to stay up to date with these findings and know where to access the literature from multiple disciplines.

Addiction professionals should always be open to information that challenges their existing and personally held views. It’s important for addiction professionals to appreciate the complex nature of addiction while valuing many different forms of concepts and theories. An addiction professional should be a critical thinker and be able to form their practice around the knowledge they are receiving on an ongoing basis.

What does addiction specialist do?

An addiction specialist works with individuals and assist them in overcoming substance or behavioral addictions. This work can also include addiction prevention and typically supports addiction treatment across various subjects or treatment methods.

The disease of addiction means that addiction specialists need to have a broad set of skills and competencies in order to help those around them. Sometimes these skills will be used in public health environments but other times they can also be done in private environments.

Addiction specialists should work in not only treating the addiction side or “using” side but also work on mental health and behavioral health as well. This means that the specialist must be well versed in many methods.

What skills do you need to be an addictions Counsellor?

Lots of skills are neccessary to be a good addictions counsellor. Some of those skills include:

  • active listening
  • critical thinking
  • interest in research
  • strong emotional intelligence (EQ)
  • bias for helping
  • and many more!

Typically addictions counsellors will have completed some level of education and likely a combination of education plus supervised work experience. Most people working professionally in addiction have completed post-graduate education as well although not all states require this. There are national-level addiction certification programs available but be careful because again not all states recognise these certifications.

Do you need to be in recovery to be an effective counselor?

This is a common misconception and can actually be quite harmful for both the counselor and person receiving treatment. Being in recovery does not provide an additional benefit or insight into the mechanics of addiction and recovery. While a counselor could theoretically transfer their learnings to the person receiving treatment, it will likely be very much influenced by their experience.

If you are seeking addiction treatment then we recommend not specifically looking for addiction counselors who are previously or currently in recovery as a primary marker for success. Instead, look for a qualified professional that can provide examples of their previous work or success rates. 

Our program, The Sobriety Success Method, is battle-tested with over 6,000 students worldwide having gone through it to date. We’re extremely proud and recommend checking it out today!

Addiction resources for professionals:

  • NAADAC represents the interests of 100,000 addiction professionals across the U.S. (naadac.org)
  • International Institute for Trauma and Addiction Professionals (iitap.com)

Why You Should Start Today

By Leave a Comment

If you are looking on the internet about ways to stop drinking alcohol or taking substances then you are more than likely past the stage of denial.  Or perhaps, you are you hoping to find reassurance that surely you don’t have a problem at all.  I’m here to tell you that if you have gotten to this stage, you do have a problem.  

You see, people who are not addicted do not question themselves or critique their own moves.  You don’t have to be a full on drug addict or alcoholic who is down in the dumps to know deep down there is a problem that is starting to brew.

Millions of people lie to themselves every single day or justify their actions somehow.  Have you heard these phrases?

“I can stop if I wanted to.”

“I don’t need to [insert drug or alcohol of choice] every night – I just want to.”

“I don’t drink every night so it’s not a problem.”

“I like the taste of [wine, alcohol, etc.]”

“I deserve to have a drink or two [or insert drug of choice.]”

People who say these things are only lying.  They are lying to themselves and they are lying to other people.  While it is true that not everyone who drinks alcohol or does drugs becomes an addict however, more people than you realize do.

You see, if it’s not a problem then most people wouldn’t do it to begin with.  Drinking alcohol and doing drugs is always a problem if it interferes with normal, everyday life.  If you cannot go on vacation or have a family gathering without being drunk or high, it’s a problem.  If you cannot relax at night with your family without it, it’s a problem.  It is pretty much always a problem if you are questioning it or if someone else is questioning your actions.

There is no need to wait.  Don’t lie to yourself any longer.  Reach out.  Get help.  Do whatever it takes so you can be in a place where you no longer crave alcohol or your drug of choice.  The path to sobriety is so much easier if you stop it earlier than later.  If  you don’t start the process today, tomorrow will be that much harder.  And next week.  And next month.  And next year.  It doesn’t get easier.

So what is the process?

The first step is acknowledgement.  I’m not here to force you into saying you are a drug addict or alcoholic because quite frankly, those negative associations only make people feel worse.  Instead, to acknowledge your behavior and the fact that you want to stop would be to tell yourself that you are ready to start a new journey – a healthier lifestyle.  

Once you acknowledge that you want to make a life change, come up with a plan on how you can achieve that success.  Who can you turn to for support?  Who can you convince to go on this journey with you?  Do you need rehab or can you get sober at home?

Come up with a script.  Everyone is going to want to know why you want to make this change.  What are you going to say?  Are you uncomfortable using the word alcoholic or drug addict?  You can say it’s for your health or you are just ready to move on.  Whatever you’re comfortable with, stick with that story and practice it because you will be asked often.

Find other sober people.  You can always start online and eventually you will find people in your community who are sober too.  

So why wait?  START TODAY!

Why You Don’t Have to Hit Rock Bottom to Get Help

By Leave a Comment

When you watch TV shows or talk shows about addiction, you will always see someone who is worse off than you. You know the age old saying about hitting rock bottom – basically implying that people don’t need professional help until they have lost everything in their life? That sort of mentality is dangerous. It’s dangerous because there are millions of people who know they are headed down a dangerous path but because of media and stigma, they don’t believe it’s bad enough to warrant help.

These are the people who have careers, families, friends, and an active social life. These are people who are really good at masking their daily struggles and can pull off hangovers and bad decisions.

If this is you, I want you to stop and think for a moment. Do you really want to lose everything? Because at some point, you will. Why not tackle your addiction before it gets the best of you, your family, and friends? There’s no shame in just stopping.

We live in an unfortunate world where reaching out for help can jeopardize a lot. While there are so many advocates who are trying to change this, and believe me, they are doing a fantastic job and making so much needed progress, the reality is, it’s still there. Most people don’t have the luxury of just taking 3 months off from work without losing their stride in their career, or having family or friends doubt or underestimate them.

It is a lot easier to obtain sobriety and stay sober when your answer to not drinking or doing is drugs is that you just don’t rather than stating you had a problem, you lost everything, and you have to work your butt off to get it all back.

Getting sober from home certainly does have some disadvantages but overall, it’s a great alternative for those who just can’t pick up and leave everything behind for 3 months. Or perhaps, not need to! There is not harm in trying this approach first.

3 Reasons to Get Sober from Home

What is a crisis?

By Leave a Comment

A crisis is not about what is happening but rather how a person reacts to what is happening. Bad things happen all the time but not everyone reacts badly to every situation or our entire society would be in a constant state of crisis.

The only person that can have an opinion on whether or not they are in a crisis is that person who is experiencing it. Just because I may be okay with my grandmother passing away does not mean that my sister is okay with it. That’s her experience, not mine.

Think about substance abuse and addiction. Rock bottom is not the same for everyone either. We often hear the phrase, “They have to hit rock bottom in order for them to realize they need help.” Well, that may be true for some but not for all and at the same time, rock bottom can range from a personal revelation to being homeless on the street.

If you sit in a drug and alcohol group, you know the one where you are supposed to talk about your feelings in a circle; someone’s rock bottom will be the worst whereas someone else’s rock bottom won’t seem that bad in comparison. Does that mean that the person whose rock bottom isn’t that bad doesn’t deserve treatment? Absolutely not.

I once had a client who was in his mid-thirties, had two children, a great job, a nice house, and a really supportive wife. He was in a car accident and broke a few bones and he just did what the doctor told him to do and that was to take Oxycontin. A few months later, he realized he was taking more than prescribed, and found it hard to withdrawal. He mentioned that when he was out of his prescription he would lay around the house feeling miserable, not able to get out of bed. His son asked him to play ball one day and he couldn’t. That’s when he knew he needed help. He didn’t lose his job, he didn’t lose his marriage, kids, or house, but he felt that he was in a state of crisis knowing that he did not want to continue down that path. On the outside, his rock bottom didn’t seem so bad right? But in reality, to him, it really was.

I hope that you can remember this if you begin to experience a crisis or know someone who is experiencing a crisis. Don’t be so quick to jump to conclusions or make comparisons. We are all unique in every situation, crisis or not.

We’ve helped hundreds of people get sober from home.

Our students are:

– Happy
– Sober
– Clear Headed
– Free from the chains of addiction
– Motivated
– Energetic

Connect with Us

Product

Recovery & Sobriety Courses

Pricing

Learn

Blog

Resources

Videos

Company

About Us

Contact