recovery Archives - Page 2 of 2

What if my Child is Using? – Adolescent Drug Addiction

by anesamiller_wuhi6k | Apr 17, 2015 | Blog, Issues in Our Orbit -- Substance Abuse & Recovery

Imaginative writing is often inspired by the conflicts of everyday life. In our society, where we may find ourselves stressed to a breaking point, conflict can reflect pressures we don’t even understand. In an effort to reach beyond fiction toward the real-world tensions that inspired my novel, Our Orbit, I’m introducing a few new topic categories here on the blog. You’ll continue to find items on the craft of writing, literature, and publishing. But since Our Orbit delves into the challenges of family life, I’m also branching out to parenting, including addiction and recovery among teenagers. Here is an offering on this topic, along with links to sources of help and information.

The painful question in the title of this post is one that worried parents ask each day in thousands, if not millions, of homes across all continents. This timely article is was written by Mr. Robert Hunt, a youth recovery coach and wellness advocate, re-posted from SoberNation by permission of Mr. Tom Stoddard, founder of that website, which is dedicated to building community by and for people in recovery from addictions and related problems.

From Recovery Coach Robert Hunt —

Adolescent drug addiction treatment can incorporate a number of different approaches, procedures, and timelines, depending on the adolescent. In our experience, the most effective treatment plans are those that are holistic and individualized, meaning they incorporate different approaches and therapeutic processes, all dependent upon the specific adolescent’s individual symptoms, needs, and unique situation. Three of the most important aspects of an adolescent’s experience that should always be incorporated into a treatment plan include Co-Occurring Disorders, academic struggles and support, and family support.

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First of all, it’s extremely common for adolescents who struggle with drug or substance abuse to also suffer from a Mental Health disorder or learning challenge. At times, these symptoms may overlap with those of the drug abuse addiction and effects, thus making it difficult to know which symptoms are attributed to which disorder. Because of this, unfortunately it’s common for teen Co-Occurring disorders to go undiagnosed and consequently untreated. In these cases, teens may recover from their addiction and abuse but still be suffering from the other disorder, which will leave them vulnerable to stress that can trigger relapse. Therefore, the importance of careful evaluation and thorough diagnoses in Adolescent Drug Addiction Treatment can’t be stressed enough, as it’s the foundation upon which recovery is built.

Secondly, adolescents living with addiction and/or abusing drugs often are struggling in school. Because school is such a central part of adolescents’ lives, experiencing such struggles or failure can quickly lead to serious loss of self-esteem, and together with drug use, can add to the adolescents’ withdrawal from others. These academic difficulties will hopefully be realized within talk therapy sessions and careful consideration of possible learning disabilities should be made as well. While in treatment, adolescents should be provided real-life academic support such as tutoring, to help get the students back on track. For adolescents, success at school is pivotal to success in their lives.

Lastly, Adolescent Drug Addiction Treatment plans should include the family members, to help heal what damage and hurt has been done, re-build relationships, and create a healthy environment for everyone to thrive in together, amidst the adolescent’s recovery. In our treatment plans, we always provide parents with individual and group family sessions, in order to provide parents the support necessary to move forward.

Again, because Adolescent Drug Addiction Treatment is different for every adolescent, there is certainly no one right way for it to be done. However, in our experience these three aspects prove consistently important in supporting our adolescents to achieve true and lasting sobriety.

About the author – Robert Hunt is a recovering addict of 20 years. He has devoted his life to helping others suffering from chemical addictions as well as mental health challenges. Robert maintains many blogs on drug addiction, eating disorders and depression. He is a sober coach and wellness advocate and a prominent figure in the recovery community.

Visit Robert Hunt’s blog | Follow him on Twitter @RecoveryRobert

Visit SoberNation | Follow @SoberNation

Visit Parent Treatment Advocates

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Does Childhood Trauma Cause Addiction?

by anesamiller_wuhi6k | Apr 10, 2015 | Blog

Several serious topics drive the story of my novel Our Orbit. Childhood traumas play a major role in the plot, as does the difficult issue of substance abuse. To open the way for a conversation on these matters, I offer the following guest post that first appeared on Gabbertsite, the blog of mental health professional Gail Gabbert. These themes are so important to my fiction that I plan to share information about their real-world consequences and treatments throughout the coming months. Many thanks to Ms. Gabbert for making her expertise available.

Gail Gabbert writes—

I recently read a Huffington Post article entitled: “The Likely Cause of Addiction Has Been Discovered, and It Is Not What You Think.” The author states “the opposite of addiction is not sobriety. It is human connection.” This piqued my interest in reading the book, “Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs” by Johann Hari, who is also the author of the news article. I highly recommend the book as an interesting account of the history and progress of the war on drugs.

The author cites trauma as a likely culprit of addiction. But the concept of connection as an antidote to addiction is easily misunderstood. A quick reading of the article might cause some parents to blame themselves for a child’s addiction because they didn’t love them enough. Although relational trauma has been documented to be a potential underlying factor in predisposing one toward addiction, unconditional love as an antidote is over-simplifying a very complex issue.

A more accurate description of social connection is found in the book. It is referred, not simply to a bond with one’s circle of friends and family, but rather connection that includes jobs, housing, a sense of worth and dignity. Many of these things are lost to people who have been incarcerated for drug use. Upon release from prison, felons are denied access to public housing and have difficulty securing jobs. They lack many resources to rebuilding a stable life, thereby increasing the odds of return to addictive behavior.

I did my own amateur research on the role of social support in the lives of eleven people who are in treatment for opiate (heroin and/or pain killers) dependency. Ten of the eleven perceived themselves to have had family support prior to their dependency. And ten of the eleven perceive themselves to have family support for their recovery. Therefore, the vast majority of these people feel positively connected to their families and developed a dependency in spite of it. For them, family support didn’t cause their addiction. And family support isn’t sufficient to cure it.

I asked them to complete ACE (Adverse Childhood Experiences) questionnaire to assess child abuse, neglect and household dysfunction. This study was referenced in the book as an indicator of trauma, leading to negative consequences such as substance abuse. The majority (8) of the eleven people in my sample had low scores which could indicate that there are other factors that contributed to their addiction besides trauma. Granted, this is not a scientific study and should not be taken as such. It was my way to satisfy my curiosity on a small scale.

The author ends with advice to unconditionally love people with substance dependencies, rather than isolate them from their community or incarcerate them. Those who promote “tough love” demand that the addict cease all use of their substance or suffer the consequence of isolation, loss of resources and loss of freedom.

It seems to me that early childhood trauma may or may not have caused substance dependence. But I agree with the author that the consequence of social isolation will only deepen their addiction.

Visit https://gabbertsite.wordpress.com/ for more information and ideas from psychotherapist Gail Gabbert. Leave comments below to share your thoughts on the topic of substance abuse and treatment, or other matters of interest. This item is re-posted with much gratitude to the author.

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