Addictions Therapist

I’ve been in recovery from drugs and alcohol the past 4 1/2 months and it hasn’t been that easy but thankfully I’ve made it threw and still haven’t relapsed but the thing with me is I developed a cross-addiction with compulsive spending of money and I have been overeating like NO OTHER and I just don’t know how to handle these problems because its hard enough for me to stay clean and I get overwhelmed very easily and trying to deal with those problems just seems more than I can handle! I’ve already been to treatment once also.. BUT HELP WHAT DO I DO!?!?!

20 years ago i went through rehab. Life went on. I finished college, got a job and a long the way discovered that I am just fine with social drinking. It doesn’t trigger me into anything destructive. I know I have a vulnerability when it comes to some drugs… so I take care around those types drugs and abstain from them.
I don’t personally see anything wrong with managing a propensity towards addiction without complate abstanance from all substances if you’re happy and functional. I have maybe 1 or 2 beers twice a month with my fish tacos.
20 years later, is it really necessary to be a recovery natzi? Some people in the program can’t wrap their heads around it. But is that becasue they need to abstain from eveything and can’t wrap their heads around being able to have a drink without becoming dysfuctional about it?
Looking for you .02. I saw a shrink for something unrelated but she gave me lots of grif over the fact that I was in rehab 20 years ago (for a drug)that I now drink.
If I have not had any issues or problems socially drinking for 15 years, why should I stop now just because I had a problem 20 years ago? I just don’t get it – it doesn’t make sense to me. The point, is that it’s fun, and cultural.
I’m afraid the more I talk to recovering addicts, the less I relate.

This would be in Boston, MA. A friend of mine would like to start a recovery home for women. She has a lot of experience in the field of alcohol and drug addiction but has not had any certification in the field. Thanks for your help.

It’s just that… it takes such a short span of time for a person to get addicted to a drug. Why then does it take so long for te individual to recover?

I used to live next to a rehab center, people in there for rehab would come out on the sidewalk for a break and almost all of them would light up. Now, considering that an addict is usually supposed to decline potentially addicting substances, why are they still allowed to use a substance that is supposedly harder to kick than heroin? I just don’t get it. It doesn’t make sense. BTW, I wasn’t sure which category to put this in, but since addiction involves compulsion (and often obsession as well), I put it here.
Okay, to the person who mentioned coffee, I don’t think coffee can be equated to alcohol, heroin, coke or the rest of the seriously addicting substances. I never knew anyone who needed to go into rehab to give up coffee. It’s more of a habituation than a substance addiction.

And to the person who mentioned that tobacco is legal, that may be so, but it would also be legal to make giving up every addictive substance part of the program. Not only that, on the surface it would appear to be constructive.

It’s true that addicts often transfer their addiction to something else (attending church, sex, some hobby…anything they can obsess about). At least many of those potential obsessions don’t involve supporting a system of gangsterism and don’t result in overdoses. Giving up tobacco helps extend the person’s life, improves their health, and reduces a huge burden on society and the insurance system.
More comments on the answers.

To the person who said smokers just get cranky and gain weight, is THAT why it’s harder to give up cigarettes than to give up heroin?

To the person who says rehab isn’t punishment, that’s true, but for those sent there by the legal system, it’s INSTEAD of punishment.

To the person who implied I’m being judgmental, what am I supposed to think of people who get hooked on drugs when there is plenty of evidence of the bad effects of addiction? If someone jumps off a roof and gets hurt, yeah, I feel his pain, but wow, how stupid can you get? They say movies and TV glamourize drug use, but they must be watching different shows than I am: I’m seeing people hitting the bottom on almost all of these shows. Where is the supposed glamour?

So, what I’m hearing seems to be that we need to give up on addicts. They’ll always be addicts, and if it’s just tobacco, at least they’re not robbing liquor stores and dying of overdose.

I am a first generation immigrant and have no experience or any idea of how to get help for my 21 year old son’s drug and alcohol addiction. 3 months ago he came to me confessing everything: he had been abusing drugs for the past 3 and 1/2 years and that this past school year was the worst. Since then he’s given up everything and been sober. He had been using marijuana, cocaine, mdma, painkillers, alcohol, and cigarettes. Now he is very afraid of them and will never use them again. As much as I’m very glad he’s been sober and is willing to recover and go back to school, he has told me that he’s very scared that it might be too late. He’s been dealing with depression, insomnia, loss of concentration, memory problems (can’t read a book or watch a movie and remember the story days later), inability to communicate clearly what he wants to say in his mind, among other things. I have scheduled a meeting with a psychiatrist for him this week. He insists on getting a pet scan, but feels too anxious and guilty to get one from a neurologist at a regular hospital for he fears they will be judgmental. Is there anywhere to bring him to get a pet scan from a neurologist that understands what recovering “addicts” are going through and is able to tell us how much damage has been done and if there’s anything we can do to recover lost brain activity? Or do most neurologists that give pet scans for cancer treatments and other natural illnesses also deal with drug abusers? Or should we go to a drug addiction specialist and he refers us to a proper neurologist? I will ask the psychiatrist this as well, but just wanted to shoot my question on here for any additional advice. Thank you so much for answering and I very much appreciate it.

I have a close friend who has a sober assistance while recovering from meth addiction.

If there is a plan for addiction recovery, could you please help me with one? Aside from the obvious, which I am already using, like not using at all, ie. drinking or drugs. 12 Steps are a start for me.

Does it make sense that a Dr. would prescribe Xanax to a patient who he knows has a drug addiction problem?

Also, my friend lives in a house for recovering addicts (supportive living). Is it right for the house to allow this drug too?

Please read questions carefully. I don’t understand why he would be allowed drugs at all.

Product Description
Opiate dependence has become an epidemic across the US. Treatment options vary dramatically by cost, time, comfort level, and other factors. This lecture by recovering psychiatry Jeffrey T Junig MD PhD explains the treatment options and the odds for success for each option. The recording is an explanation of the treatments available from someone who has been there…. More >>

Opiate Dependence Treatment Options: From Sober Recovery to Suboxone

My ex-husband has a drug addiction problem. Has been to numerous of rehabilitation facilities including a christian based one. I would like for us to get back together but he doesn’t seem to want or try to change. One of the things that I and the rehab places have said “Change your mind change your life” When he watches TV he watches stuff that in my opinion doesn’t enhance his mind at all. “Cops” and other programs where they are always busting people for drugs. Just recently one telling how truckers transport marijuana and cocaine. I keep telling him that he doesn’t need to watch stuff like that..that it only puts his mind on the drugs. He seems to think I’m crazy and that it doesn’t, affect him yet he tries to sneak and watch it. Are there any counselors or ex-drug addicts out there that agree with me. Where the mind goes the man follows? I think he should listen to and watch uplifting positive agendas. Thanks for your input.

I have been trying to find a really good song about recovering from an addiction online, but I haven’t been able to find what I’m looking for. I need something that’s not mainly about girls or alcohol, and that has a happy ending. Something like “this is what I’ve been threw but I’m finally back in control of my life” kind of thing. I’d greatly appreciate all help! Thank you in advance!

My sister is attending NA classes and working on recovery from a drug addiction. All she talks about is her recovery and the process she is going through. Although we are very proud of her for taking charge of her life and getting off drugs, it seems as though she is addicted to her recovery. For years, the family revolved around her and her problems, and now it seems as though we are revolving around her healing process.

I’m involved with an alcohol and drug addiction recovery ranch. Men only facility, non-profit, long-term, open-ended. Most men stay between 8-12 months. Horse therapy is used on the ranch to build confidence, trust, and allow the men to surrender to a new way of living. We’re in a rainy area and need to cover an existing arena to allow the therapy year round. We also want to offer the facility to the community for events for children. We’re looking for grant money, sponsorship, etc. Any advice?