addiction Archives - Page 12 of 27 - Enlightened Solutions

Nature as Part of Spiritual Practice

Written by enlightened solutions on June 19, 2018. Posted in Alternative Therapy, Recovery. Leave a Comment

Our daily lives are often so consumed with the hustle and bustle of our busy routines that we forget a powerful healing tool that surrounds us, that we can access to restore our inner peace. Explore the natural world around you, and you will find it holds infinite healing and guidance. When you open yourself up to receiving animal medicine, for example, you will begin to learn and experience the vast wisdom and symbolism that animals hold.

The sound of the wind in the trees can be immediately soothing and calming. The next time you hear it, pause to meditate on the beautiful sound rather than rushing off to your next destination. Take a moment to register the multiple shades of green in the plant life around you and observe the different brilliant colors of the sky. Take time to watch the sun or moon rise or set. Allow yourself to see the world around you with wonder and excitement, what we often associate with children but which as adults we can implement on a regular basis to add to the joy in our lives.

Being near a body of water brings many people a sense of peace and tranquility. Make the time to sit by a pond or beach, breathing in the helpful negative ions, listening for the crashing or lapping of waves whose continuity can make you feel calm and happy.

Nature reminds us that we are in the flow of life. If we move with it, and allow ourselves to be open to it, we can access the healing power of the universe and the natural world around us. Nature also proves that the natural state of our planet is one of abundance. There is an infinite abundance of leaves on a tree, grains of sand on a beach, drops of water in the ocean. So too are we infinitely abundant, full of the strength and wisdom we need to live happy, healthy lives, full of the manifestation power to heal and to create the lives we want.

Addictions, depression, anxiety, and any other form of mental/emotional health issues, have a way of destabilizing us and making us lose our center. Being in nature can help us to ground ourselves more. You are absorbing the power and strength of the earth any time you consciously connect with it. You reflect the longevity and survival you see in the oldest trees. You reflect the strength and conviction of the wind. Connecting with nature is a wonderful healing tool to add to your spiritual practice.

We listen, and we understand. Many of us have personal experience with recovery. Enlightened Solutions offers therapy, mentoring, and friendship. Call (833) 801-LIVE today.

Disillusionment and the Lies We Tell Ourselves

Written by enlightened solutions on June 7, 2018. Posted in 12 Step Program, Addiction Recovery. Leave a Comment

Along our healing journey, as we are able to observe our thoughts and beliefs, we will inevitably be confronted with all kinds of things we have come to believe are true but that our hearts, souls and spirits know to be false. Changing our limiting beliefs about ourselves and the world around us involves reprogramming our subconscious minds, and in doing so, we have to confront the lies we tell ourselves. This process of disillusionment will bring up all sorts of painful and triggering beliefs. Our ego minds will want to attach to these beliefs because that is what they are accustomed to. Our minds will fight us as we try to shed these beliefs. As we resist our mind’s often neurotic ways of thinking, we only compound the negative energy accumulated within us.

To change these beliefs in a deep way, we can challenge the lies our ego minds tell us, while also working to calm and neutralize the stored anxious energy within. Try writing out the fears you’ve unearthed, then meditating on these fears by sitting with them and breathing through them. This is a powerful healing technique that allows you decrease your resistance to painful thoughts and fears, which helps to lessen their power over you. Anyone who has tried to stop obsessing, for example, knows that trying to resist the thoughts only makes them more frequent. We can’t avoid the thoughts, we have to face them. We have to feel them to heal them, as they say.

See if any of these fears apply to you. Do you feel a reaction when thinking about them? Do you feel triggered by them? Write down any fears that come to mind. Think about your patterns, habits and cycles, all of which can point you to your subconscious fears. List your fears, read them, sit with them, feel the full weight of them, and breathe through them. Repeat the process as much as needed.

Fear of abandonment

Fear of inadequacy

Fear of inferiority

Fear of being replaced

Fear of being rejected

Fear of being betrayed

Fear of death

Fear of success

Fear of failure

Fear of judgment

Etc.

As we sit with our fears, we start to feel that they bring us the opposite emotions from the natural joy and peace we feel in our hearts when we’re happy. They cause us tension, anxiety, panic, anger, and sadness. These fears are illusions of the ego mind. Our ego, or sense of self, becomes wounded after trauma, and instead of being self-protective, it can be self-punishing and self-deprecating. Living our lives in fear not only keeps us small, it works to actually manifest those fearful things into our reality. Meditate on disillusionment. Meditate on releasing your fears. They aren’t real. Your heart and soul and the light within them are what is real.

Enlightened Solutions can offer you support in addressing your fears. We provide various kinds of therapy, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT.) Call (833) 801-LIVE today.

Healthy Communication and Respect

Written by enlightened solutions on June 6, 2018. Posted in 12 Step Program, Sober Living. Leave a Comment

No relationship is perfect, but there are some key elements that happy relationships tend to have in common. Unhealthy dynamics in these areas can cause people to express their emotions, or not express them, in very unhealthy ways.

Communication

People in healthy relationship with one another communicate. We all have different ways of communicating and expressing ourselves. Speaking is just one of many forms of communication. For some people, speaking can be very difficult, especially when dealing with sensitive subjects and challenging situations. Some people find writing out their thoughts much easier than speaking and prefer to communicate by letter, email or text when something is too tough to talk about in person. Others use their art to express themselves. Many people have a tendency to shut down altogether and have a very hard time communicating their thoughts and emotions. And some people dominate the interaction, not allowing others the chance to speak, to be heard and understood.

There are countless communication styles, as varied as we are as people. Healthy dynamics encourage people to figure out their communication styles, and to work with each other to expand their communication skills and strengths. Healthy communication means finding ways of handling conflict, disagreement and emotional subjects in ways that work for everyone, making sure everyone’s needs are met. Healthy relationships encourage listening to understand and empathize, rather than interrupting or rushing to respond.

Respect

Mutual respect is a must for healthy partnerships of all kinds, whether family, friend or intimate relationships. Having respect for another person means caring about their emotions, understanding and holding space for their needs, and being sensitive to their challenges. Respecting someone means respecting their boundaries and giving them the same care we would want for ourselves. It means allowing others their autonomy and independence without trying to force our own expectations, issues or concerns upon them. Respect and abuse are mutually exclusive, and once a relationship experiences any form of abuse, the trust between those people, and the respect between them, can be very hard to rebuild.

If we look closely at our relationships, we might see that they have been lacking respect in various ways- the ways in which we communicate with one another, how we choose to treat each other, and how we resolve conflict.

In our interactions and dynamics with one other, healthy communication, consideration and respect go a long way towards having happy, functioning relationships, as well as healthy minds and hearts.

Improving relationships is a focal point at Enlightened Solutions. We are here to help. Call (833) 801-LIVE.

Burned Bridges

Written by enlightened solutions on June 5, 2018. Posted in Addiction Recovery, Healthy Living. Leave a Comment

One thing many addicts and people with mental health issues share is a history of tumultuous relationships, broken friendships and burned bridges. When we are struggling with the inner turmoil of anxiety, depression, other mental illnesses, and addictions, we struggle to maintain healthy relationships. Our interpersonal relationships are often filled with misunderstanding, miscommunication, falling outs, and missed opportunities for learning, growth and reconciliation.

Manifesting Conflict

What we think about, we attract. What we feel we deserve is what we will choose for ourselves. This is evident in the relationships we choose. When we are in conflict within ourselves, we are more likely to attract relationships that reflect that conflict. We might have friends who insult us, or partners who emotionally abuse us. We might find ourselves arguing with family members more often than not. We feel overwhelmed, drained, frustrated and resentful, all of which compound the emotional issues we were already experiencing and cause us to attract more of the same. Oftentimes we get to the point where we feel we just can’t take it anymore. This issue, this argument, or this person, is not worth the trouble anymore. And we cut them off. Perhaps we are afraid to address the issues with them. Perhaps we are avoiding the anxiety that can come with confrontation. Perhaps we feel this person has crossed a threshold of respect they can’t recover from.

Whatever the scenario, if we believe that we manifest everything in our lives, both good and bad, then we must admit that we manifested this conflict. What inside of us created it? Was it an inner fear of being unworthy or unlovable? Was it fear of trusting others after being betrayed? Whatever it is, when we can take responsibility for our manifestation, we can begin to unravel the pieces of the puzzle, solve the conflicts in our current relationships, and begin to attract healthier, more stable relationships and circumstances into our lives.

Mindfulness

When we come to understand our power and responsibility in having manifested what we didn’t want in our lives, i.e. relationship turmoil, we can begin to practice more mindfulness in order to start manifesting the things we do want. We can choose our words, thoughts, actions and energies with more care and more attention. We can direct our energies in positive ways. We can begin to prioritize an inner peace and wellness, thereby manifesting more of the same reflected back to us in our realities. We can decide we want stable, healthy relationships in which we feel safe and secure. We can choose to work to create that same stability, health, safety and security within ourselves, giving us the power to create relationships with those elements, and to help those around us to do the same.

It can do a world of good to be surrounded by people who understand and empathize. Enlightened Solutions is here for you. Call (833) 801-LIVE today.

Affirmations for Depression, Anxiety, Panic and Addiction – Enlightened Solutions Aisling Peartree

Written by enlightened solutions on June 4, 2018. Posted in Addiction, Mental Health. Leave a Comment

For many people, healing from complex, deeply rooted emotional issues can require a multi-pronged approach. A person’s healing is often an involved process, including unearthing buried memories and facing long-held fears. There are countless techniques, tips and remedies to try, but at the foundation of it all there must be the underlying belief that you can heal. It may sound simplistic, but for many of us, we simply don’t believe we can heal. We feel we are too far gone. We are so ashamed of ourselves we don’t feel we deserve to live. The depression has recurred too many times, for too many years, to hold out hope. Anxiety is a daily battle. Waking up in panic, being unable to sleep, finding it impossible to get out of bed, having persistent suicidal thoughts, inner demons that haunt you relentlessly… It’s enough to make anyone feel hopeless. But if we can muster even a little bit of strength to start the process of changing how we think, we can start rebuilding and regenerating our mental and emotional wellbeing. The thought processes that have become ingrained in our minds, our negative subconscious programming after trauma, all of it can be changed, if we believe it can.

Our subconscious mind responds very well to both repetition and to the written word. Try some of these affirmations or make up your own. Write them down and keep them somewhere you will see them often. Repeat them throughout the day, out loud and to yourself. When you feel the negative thoughts coming, replace them with your new affirming, empowering thoughts. Positive words alone may not bring about much change without the right energy behind them, but as you repeat the affirmations, make the choice to believe in the words you are saying, and to believe in yourself. Little by little, you will heal.

For Depression:

I am more than good enough.

I love myself.

I believe in myself.

I am healing every day, little by little.

I am aligning with my purpose.

I have the power to manifest the life I want.

For Panic:

Everything is going to be ok.

This too shall pass.

I am safe.

I am secure.

For Anxiety:

Everything happens as it’s meant to.

I trust in the divine plan.

I allow myself to stay in the present moment.

Be brave.

For Addiction:

I am strong enough to do what is best for myself.

I am powerful.

I can redefine my life and begin again.

One day at a time.

We listen, and we understand. Many of us have personal experience with recovery. Enlightened Solutions offers therapy, mentoring, and friendship. Call (833) 801-LIVE today.

How Does Opiate use Lead to Addiction?

Written by enlightened solutions on May 30, 2018. Posted in Addiction, Drugs & Alcohol. Leave a Comment

Opiates have been used for many years as a form of pain management and are still prescribed today. In the early 1900s, heroin was used as a cough suppressant. This was before anyone was aware of its addictive nature. OxyContin, morphine, methadone, and hydrocodone are some of the opiates used to treat pain.

Opiate use releases endorphins, which produce a heightened sense of wellbeing. Over time, the brain is tricked into not releasing endorphins naturally. The only way a person can experience the same euphoric feelings is by continual use of the drug and in larger amounts. This triggers the cycle of addiction.

When endorphins are not released naturally, a person becomes sick or depressed unless he or she uses the opiate. Using the opiate is no longer about feeling the pleasurable effects, but avoiding the negative feelings without it. After repeated use, the brain stops creating dopamine and limits a person’s ability to feel the strong and desirable euphoria, and only happens when using the opiate again. That is why a person craves the next high. When receiving pleasurable feelings turns into avoiding bad ones, the person becomes addicted to opiates.

Opiates are usually prescribed to a person for pain management. Over time and prolonged use, a person develops a tolerance to the intended dose and needs to take more and more to achieve a similar effect. When a person takes more than he or she needs, they usually doctor shop to get more prescriptions from different medical professionals. Many people who use prescription painkillers switch to a cheaper, more potent opiate – heroin.

When a person addicted to opiates stops using them, withdrawal symptoms immediately occur. The withdrawal symptoms include depression, anxiety, disruptive sleep patterns, insomnia, nausea, and other physical and mental health conditions. The body becomes physically dependent on the opiate, and cravings set in.

Opiate addiction interrupts regular activities in a person’s life. The individual with opiate addiction focuses on getting his or her next high to relieve the severe withdrawal symptoms. Opiate addiction disrupts marriages, relationships, and causes poor job performance and dependability.

There are medications to help lessen the intensity of opiate withdrawal. A person living with an opiate addiction should never detox alone. The urge for relapse is extremely strong with opiate addiction. Detox must be done safely with medical supervision.

Recovery is possible and healing will take place in mind, body, and spirit. Enlightened Recovery Solutions offers a holistic based, 12-step inspired, clinically proven program for alcoholism and co-occurring disorders. Call (844) 234-LIVE today for information on our partial care programs.

Can Drug Addiction Cause Mental Disorders?

Written by enlightened solutions on May 29, 2018. Posted in Drugs & Alcohol, Mental Health. Leave a Comment

Many people use drugs as an escape from reality. Drug addiction can heighten underlying mental health disorders. Certain drugs can cause paranoia, depression, and anxiety. A person with depression, anxiety, PTSD, paranoia, or other mental health problems will experience elevated levels of these symptoms.

When a person uses drugs regularly, he or she will build a tolerance to the effects of the drug. The brain develops a dependence on the drug to function and using drugs can cause brain damage, liver failure, seizures, heart attack or stroke. Drug addiction leads to many physical and mental health issues. Drugs can cause a person to overdose or lead to an early death.

People who have a mental health disorder often use drugs to alleviate the symptoms of their mental illness. When people self-medicate, any mental health problems they have are temporarily masked. Some drugs can be associated with the development of certain disorders. Instead of bringing relief, drugs can lead to new problems.

Drug abuse can cause many types of mental health illnesses. Psychosis, delirium, amnesia disorder, and perceptual disorders can develop from regular drug use. Disruptive sleep patterns, shakiness, disorientation, irritability, anxiety disorders, and depression can stem from heavy drug use.

Some drugs affect memory and can cause persisting dementia or amnesia. Long-term drug use can cause an inability to retain new memories or access old ones. Drugs damage parts of the brain that control memory retention.

Not everyone reacts the same way to each drug. One drug may cause a person to experience psychosis, but another person taking the same drug might have symptoms of anxiety. Drugs such as cocaine have been associated with the psychotic disorders. Certain drugs or alcohol can accelerate symptoms of depression and anxiety.

People living with drug addiction and mental disorders have a dual diagnosis and need to stay in therapy for a long time. It can be hard to treat a mental illness that is covered by a drug addiction. Healing will take time, but recovery is worth the effort. Sometimes people will need medication prescribed by a medical professional who can manage and monitor the progress in recovery.

Ways to Cope When Your Loved One is an Addict

Written by enlightened solutions on May 28, 2018. Posted in Addiction, Recovery. Leave a Comment

Long-term drug and alcohol use causes harmful and serious problems, physically, mentally, and financially. Excessive drug and alcohol use damages major body organs, such as the liver, heart, stomach, brain, and kidneys. The damage from drug and alcohol use can result in lifelong health complications and even death. Alcohol causes mental health problems such as anxiety and depression and contributes to cancer and neurological impairment.

When a loved one is addicted to drugs and alcohol, everyone in the family endures the pain of the addiction. Trust is broken and family members experience emotional pain as their loved one’s life goes in a different direction. Often the addicted loved one limits his or her time around family, and result in long-term absences from family gatherings, holidays, or special family events.

There are ways to cope when a family member suffers from a substance dependency. Learning that addiction is a disease is a good way to start. Here are 5 strategies to cope when your loved one has an addiction:

Learn more about drug and alcohol addiction. Attend AA or NARANON meetings and listen to what others say about their experiences with addiction. Get to meet people who struggle with a drug and alcohol addiction. Join a forum online or a group on social media that relate to drug and alcohol addiction. Ask questions and get advice or suggestions from others coping with a loved one’s addiction.
Stay positive and supportive. Encourage your loved one to get help, and offer supportive and positive comments. Understand an individual with an addiction might already have issues with guilt or self-esteem. Using shameful words or a negative tone could contribute to your loved one continuing his or her drug and alcohol use.
Set boundaries. Setting boundaries let your loved one to know what is off limits and teaches him or her to respect your rules and space. Plan in advance what to expect and stick to it.
Communicate with your loved one. Talk to him or her and keep the communication open, positive, and encouraging. Go to group therapy or family counseling and get advice from professionals who are experienced with drug and alcohol addiction.
Understand you cannot control a person’s behavior. That includes your loved one’s addiction. Family and friends suffer a range of emotions from guilt, anger, frustration, and helplessness. Family therapy allows members to express their feelings.

These are helpful ways to cope when your loved one is addicted to drugs and alcohol. The addiction affects not only the individual but also family and friends. Understand that a person must want to change his or her lifestyle with addiction. A person cannot be forced to treatment and recovery, but love, support, and encouragement is a start in the right direction.

Ways to Avoid Enabling Your Loved one With an Addiction

Written by enlightened solutions on May 25, 2018. Posted in Addiction, Recovery. Leave a Comment

A loved one’s drug or alcohol addiction affects his or her life physically, emotionally, and mentally, and heavily impacts relationships with family and loved ones. Watching a loved one struggle with addiction can make you feel helpless, hopeless, and broken. Family and friends feel a wide range of emotions from anger, sadness, despair, and fear. Sometimes people will do anything to help make things better, but may unknowingly contribute to their loved one’s continued substance abuse.

When you see a loved one suffer on a daily basis, a common reaction is to help as much as possible. Sometimes, this results in enabling your loved one’s addictive behavior. An addiction to drugs or alcohol occurs when the brain becomes physically dependent on the substance. An individual with an addiction needs more and more of the substance and is at risk of very serious health complications or death.

Family members want to help fix their loved one’s problem with addiction but often enable the behavior instead. Here are ways to avoid enabling your loved one with an addiction:

Learn about drug and alcohol addiction. Talk to other people or families who have loved ones with drug or alcohol addictions, and listen to their experiences. Go to group meetings at AA or NAR ANON and share your concerns. Get advice and suggestions from a professional in therapy or counseling.
Understand you cannot control addiction. A person with a drug or alcohol addiction must want to change his or her lifestyle to live substance free. He or she needs to detox first and discuss treatment options with a professional. Rehab can be short or long-term but recovery is a lifelong process and takes a lot of hard work and commitment.
Do not blame yourself. A person’s mental health issues can contribute to his or her using drugs. Over time, excessive drug or alcohol use causes a physical addiction, and the brain needs more of the substance to function.

Respect yourself. Do not contribute to your loved one’s addiction by accepting his or her behavior. If you do, your loved one will lose respect for you and continue using.

Set boundaries. Set firm boundaries and do not cave in when your loved one violates them. Boundaries are limits and rules that you set to protect yourself and stay in control of what is and is not acceptable.

There are ways to help your loved one with an addiction. Support and encouragement are not the same as accepting his or her addictive behaviors but can make a difference with positive reinforcement.

When Anxiety and Fear Make You an Enabler

Written by enlightened solutions on May 24, 2018. Posted in 12 Step Program, Mental Health. Leave a Comment

When your loved one has a drug and alcohol addiction, you could become full of anxiety and fear. The constant worrying can be detrimental to your physical and emotional health. The anxiety and fear can disrupt your normal daily routines and can make you an enabler. When you enable someone, you unintentionally encourage your loved one’s self-destructive behavior.

If your loved one has a drug and alcohol addiction, you need to avoid enabling his or her dangerous behavior. There is a difference between enabling and being a supportive. To avoid enabling, you need to set boundaries to protect yourself. Although this can be hard to do, you need to take care of yourself first. When you stand firm in your boundaries, your loved one with the addiction will know what is and is not acceptable.

Remind yourself that your loved one’s addiction is not your fault and you are powerless over their addiction. Accept that you cannot change his or her behavior. It is entirely up to your loved one to respect your boundaries, go to detox and treatment, and work on his or her recovery.

Anxiety and fear can unknowingly contribute to your enabling. When your loved one is addicted to drugs or alcohol, you can go through a range of emotions. The anxiety and fear can be overwhelming. When levels of anxiety and fear are this intense, you could feel emotionally drained. Enabling your loved one could reduce levels of anxiety and fear, but you are contributing to his or her destructive behavior.

To avoid becoming an enabler, learn more about the behavior of a person with a drug and alcohol addiction. Go to group therapy, attend AA or Nar Anon meetings, or join a drug and addiction forum online. Meet other people who have loved ones with an addiction to drugs or alcohol and listen to their experiences. Talk to families coping with their loved one’s addiction. Meet with a therapist or counselor who specializes in drug and alcohol addiction.

Do not shame or degrade your loved one’s behavior. That can lower their self-esteem and lead them to use more drugs and alcohol. Set boundaries, do not enable him or her, stay positive, and encourage them to get treatment. This will show that you care about and love them.

Tag: addiction