Drug addiction - rehab

[CrystalMDark]

Drug abuse leads to unhealthy lifestyle which leads to addiction which than generally leads to constant withdrawal / rehab / relapse. How can we break this circle? Are we dealing with this incorrectly?

Human body is amazing - bones being stronger than concrete, stomach full of acid that would melt zinc, nose able to remember 50,000 different scents and the human brain - moves information around at 260 miles per hour, having half your brain removed will still be as good as whole brain, can also rewire itself.

So why does drugs have such a control over us? We should be able to control drug use and not allow it to have such a negative impact. Is it hard to control because of the lifestyle the drug user lives? Should rehab facilities work on every aspect of the human body Sleep patterns, nutrition, emotions, activity so the staying clean path is a long one?
Research tells us that lack of sleep can impair memory / learning, immune regulation and metabolic control so why don’t DR's tell people with drug problems they must get sleep and how to overcome issue of lack of sleep.
Research also tells us that our brain is made up of something like 80% water and it only takes 2% dehydration to affect your cognitive skills plus if you are not eating your brain cells will eat themselves in an attempt to gain energy before you hit starvation and we all know that drugs will dehydrate you plus stop you from eating.

Rehab: people with an addiction go to Rehab to live out their withdrawal under the supervision of the DR who generally will just medicate you and send you to group classes during your stay. Once you feel detoxed you are sent home most likely will relapse due to exposure of drug-related cues that you did not experience at rehab.

So would rehab be better situated at your house with someone who is not only just medicating you but is also monitoring sleep, food intake, dehydration levels and if unable to eat or have fluids than to at least have food / water by IV? Than to be exposed to drug cues under the supervision of a Dr and someone who has the knowledge / experience to deal with your coping mechanisms? To me avoiding situations where you are likely to be exposed to your issue doesn't seem to work out and wouldn't it be better to be exposed constantly so that you learn to cope / your brain habit changes from *exposure - need it - get it to *exposure - deal with it - controlled - don't feel like it - don't get it??

Personal experience - I have been doing ICE for well over 7 years I'm still unsure if I would call my drug taking an addiction. I'm more inclined to say it is an environment habit - controlled by my thinking. Let me explain I'm able to travel, go out, work and do all the *normal things society accepts without feeling like I need to get on the gear but if I'm in the environment that I do gear in I find it very hard to say no. So why is it so hard for my mind to say no and make me feel like I'm going to die without it? I know for a fact that I'm able to cope without it because if it is too hard to get for example I'm overseas or have just started work I may get a slight feeling of wanting but it will pass. Like the brain knows how far it can push you and if it is worth pushing you to the edge

During my drug taking I have always made sure that I do not go more than one day on the gear, I will also force myself to eat / drink water, get some rest and use my muscles. This makes me think that maybe that is why I have been able to keep normal life.

 

[Speed King]

Hello, CrystalMDark. Welcome to Bluelight. A moderator may move this somewhere else, but no big deal. I wish I knew why people get addicted, stay addicted, or relapse due to cues like a certain environment, or other things that trigger someone. I wish I could answer that. I agree with you about a lot of what you said. " So would rehab be better situated at your house with someone who is not only just medicating you but is also monitoring sleep, food intake, dehydration levels and if unable to eat or have fluids than to at least have food / water by IV? Than to be exposed to drug cues under the supervision of a Dr and someone who has the knowledge / experience to deal with your coping mechanisms?" For certain people, sure, this would be great. However, this idea is not always possible. " To me avoiding situations where you are likely to be exposed to your issue doesn't seem to work out and wouldn't it be better to be exposed constantly so that you learn to cope / your brain habit changes from *exposure - need it - get it to *exposure - deal with it - controlled - don't feel like it - don't get it??" I kind of get what your saying here. All I can say is from my experience with rehabilitation, in the end, it all has to do with you. I will use myself here as an example. I had to listen to what they had to say, I had to make sense of it all, I had to face those "triggers" head on. I had to piece together what they said and combine it with my understanding and roll with it all. It was all me. Triggers will always be around. I had to use my knowledge and understanding and face down those triggers. In the beginning, it was rough. The way I got through it was by keeping a sober circle around me. Let me tell you a secret. They make you go to meetings while in rehabilitation. A lot of people think AA is just for alcoholics. The truth is, it is a sober group of people. Eventually, I realized that you/I could substitute anything for alcohol. It's all about the sobriety. That is one of the things that reinforced those coping skills, learned in rehabilitation. I kept myself involved with sober people. The decision I had to make was not in my head, but in my spirit. When I pieced all of what I was taught with what I physically went through and combined all that with a sober group of friends, I succeeded. If I want to remain successful, I go back to that sober place and get reminded of what got me sober. I'm getting lost now, but to someone in a similar situation to yours, I would recommend an in patient stay in a hospital. They monitor you and nurse you back to health. If you can't do that, partial hospitalization is next. I hope I contributed to what you were seeking. PM me if I can help. There is also a sober living section on here with people that are going through, or finished going through something similar to you. CrystalMDark, I'm glad you are here. There are plenty of Bluelighters that will help you out.

 

[Jabberwocky]

Yes I am somewhat confused. What was the question or your thesis OP? BTW, nice wall of text SK :D

 

[closeau]

Personally I found rehab really helpful. Place I went you had to be detoxes before you went so you can pay attention and focus on what their teaching you. Mostly, during that time I felt really alone and being in there with 20 other guys all addicts made me feel better. One of the most horrible side effects of addiction is isolation. I'm not sure if going thru detox and time after alone would be best. Speed King was right about AA. Usually if your down with admitting you're an alcoholic then you're welcome. I found like myself most people in AA might have been drinkers but always had another addiction. That's just my opinion. I think rehab can be good experience for many who have lost self disipline. I remember the head dude there told me when I was leaving, son, just do what you did here and you'll be fine and I did for a long time then I started losing discipline and stopped making my bed and things here and there and before you know it I'm relapsing. I have found in my 9 years in recovery if you listen to suggestions and do things they say you'll be fine but when I'm listening to myself and my own ideas I'm usually in trouble. That's it