Substance Abuse Archives - Page 3 of 6

The Legal Consequences of Driving Under the Influence

Written by enlightened solutions on August 6, 2019. Posted in Addiction, Drugs & Alcohol. Leave a Comment

Being charged with a DUI is not a matter to take lightly. While every state has its own laws in regard to the punishment, every person who commits a DUI will suffer the legal consequences as not only could you have hurt yourself, but you could have ruined the lives of those around you. By doing something about your substance abuse and going into treatment, you can avoid having to go through the negative consequences that come with being charged with a DUI.

Jail Time

Remember that being charged with a DUI does not only mean that you were alcohol-intoxicated, but that you have drugs in your system in general. When you are arrested for a DUI, the officer will pull you over in your car and make you get off the road. The person charged then gets taken to the police station, booked, and put in jail until a bond is posted. The individual would have to demonstrate that there has been a significant drop in their BAC level in order to be released. The amount of time spent in jail depends on the situation. Someone who has a first-time DUI will most likely be charged with a misdemeanor. If you injure or kill someone as a result of driving under the influence, it will be considered a felony. In most states, having two or three misdemeanor convictions can be considered felony convictions.

After Getting Arrested

Once the individual is arrested, they will go to court for an arraignment where they will be charged with criminal defense in pleading guilty or not guilty. It can get expensive being charged with a DUI in that you have to pay the court a bond to be released, pay a bond to get their car back, and pay towing charges. You would also have to give your attorney a down payment before the case begins. Before going to trial for your case, you would have already spent thousands of dollars.

Driving Privilege Restrictions

In most states, refusing to take a breathalyzer will automatically get their license suspended typically for three to twelve months. First-time offenders normally have their license suspended for 90 days. Depending on the judge and the situation, these restrictions can either be short or long. There may be certain specifications to follow such as having interlock systems installed in the car ignition of someone with a suspended license or wait a specific amount of time to get their license back. Later, individuals would have to go to the Department of Motor Vehicles and be evaluated to see if they are fit to get their license back. You would also have to pay higher premiums for car insurance with there being no way around it.

Probation

The majority of people who commit a DUI have to be put on probation which costs a lot of money. While on probation, the individual cannot use alcohol or other drugs as well as not be in businesses that serve alcohol. Individuals are also required to speak to their probation officer and get permission to leave the state or the city where they live.

Evaluations

Whether you have committed this offense once or more than once, you will be told to take an alcohol education program. You will be expected to pay for the program and have your attendance monitored. Courts will also require you to be evaluated by a mental health provider attached to the court system or a private mental health provider before the trial. This will involve being interviewed by the healthcare provider or clinician and to complete a series of tests. The results will help the courts determine sentencing, probation, treatment, etc. These assessments can be expensive and not paid by the

Treatment

Because the legal systems do not want to keep seeing the same people return to the courts for the same offense, treatment is required as a condition of their probation. If these individuals do not go to treatment or do not prove to their probation officer that they are attending, they could be sent to jail or pay heavier fines. The judge will specify the treatment and can include participating in 12 step meetings as well as therapy. You may be required to attend inpatient or outpatient rehab programs. When you attend treatment, your probation will be complete and you may be able to get your license back.

Your Record

You will be required to report your DUI if you are asked on a job application, college application, military application, etc. Insurance companies will investigate your driving record from the past 5-7 years. If you did not have car insurance at the time of the offense, you will be charged higher premiums or you will not be covered. While it may not appear in some type of background checks or searches years later, there will always be a record of it somewhere. Having multiple DUI convictions where others were hurt or injured as well as property damage will have these charges stay with them for the rest of their lives. If you are suffering from substance abuse disorder, do not wait until you have your first DUI conviction where you hurt yourself and others to realize that you need to go to treatment. By agreeing to go to treatment, you will not have to go through the cost and embarrassment that a DUI charge can lead to.

Located on the shore of Southern New Jersey, Enlightened Solutions is a recovery center using evidence-based therapies and holistic healing to treat addiction and mental illness. With the opportunity to learn about therapies that are keyed in to healing the human spirit and learning about new stress-reducing techniques centered around a 12-Step network, you will ensure a lasting recovery. For more information, please call us at 833-801-LIVE as we are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Wendy Williams’s Substance Abuse Hotline

Written by enlightened solutions on April 9, 2019. Posted in Addiction, Addiction Recovery. Leave a Comment

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Drug addiction hotlines are toll-free places to call for answering questions for addiction recovery treatment and support. Wendy Williams used her past experience with cocaine addiction to help others who have been in her shoes before. These hotlines can be a great place if you are confused about where to go for treatment or if you need someone to talk to in order to avoid a relapse.

888-5HUNTER Hotline

Wendy Williams recently announced on her talk show “The Wendy Williams Show” that she launched a hotline to help those struggling with drug addiction. She has partnered with The Hunter Foundation and the treatment center T.R.U.S.T. to create the 888-5HUNTER hotline that is open 24 hours. Williams said that her intentions with this hotline is to help those who are in desperate need of it and to give hope to those who have none. Williams was inspired to do this after going through substance abuse herself while launching her “Be Here” campaign. She knows that drug addiction is a battle that people fight for the rest of their lives so they should get all of the help they can get.

When you call the hotline, you will be on the phone with certified coaches trained to match callers to treatment centers that are specific to their needs. They can suggest you to short-term and long-term treatment plans like detox, rehab, sober living, and outpatient centers. These coaches will assess these callers based on what they need to have a successful recovery like what substance they are abusing and their financial circumstances to see what treatment center suits them. By creating this treatment center, Williams is breaking the stigma of addiction in letting others know how serious it is and providing them a hotline to get the immediate answers that they have been searching for.

Reasons to Call an Addiction Hotline

Instead of having to wait for an appointment or going to a clinic only to find out that they cannot treat you based on the severity of your needs, a hotline can give you the answers you are looking for. Hotlines are free and confidential. You can call them for many reasons such as learning about the signs and symptoms of addiction. A coach can confirm to you just how serious your addiction is based on the symptoms given and whether what you are experiencing is typical of an addiction. You can also learn about the dangers that can happen to you as a result of not getting help to further convince you to look into treatment centers.

Hotlines can also be a great source to learn about the treatment centers around you that can help you based on your personal needs instead of spending hours on the phone calling up a bunch of centers. You can ask questions in regards to insurance coverage as well as whether there is a treatment center that can help you with mental health issues that you are experiencing as well. You may not even be calling for yourself, but if you have a friend or a relative who is in trouble as a result of their drug addiction. You have everything to gain by giving a hotline a call as it will better your chances at learning to be healthy again and less of a chance at an overdose or relapse.

Fears Others May Have That Prevent Calling a Hotline

There are those who may be afraid to call an addiction hotline because they are afraid of there being a charge. Addiction hotlines with toll-free numbers have no charge when placing a call with them. Most of them even have 24 hour access and are in many languages so more people are helped with these calls. You also do not have to feel an obligation to perform any tasks that a coach advises you to do. You can merely just listen to what your coach has to say and then ruminate on this new information before taking the next steps. The point of these calls is to receive guidance and support and are not obligated to do anything else after the call.

You also do not have to worry about whether or not you can be arrested for making a phone call admitting to using drugs. These calls are anonymous and these coaches are not on the other line to get you arrested. You have a better chance of getting arrested when you commit crimes as a result of acquiring more drugs and not getting help for your addiction. You also do not have to worry about your coach letting anyone know about this call as all calls are confidential. Callers do not need to provide their name or any other piece of personal information as the point of the phone call is to provide information to your coaches solely about your addiction.

What to Expect During a Phone Call to an Addiction Hotline

You may feel nervous when you first call a hotline in that you do not know what questions they may ask of you. To get an idea, you might be asked what substance you are abusing, how long, how frequent, any mental health issues, if you told anyone, if you are ready to start treatment, and if you have been to rehab before. Making a call to an addiction hotline is the first step to doing something about your addiction recovery.

Located on the shore of Southern New Jersey, Enlightened Solutions is a recovery center that uses evidence-based therapies and holistic healing to treat addiction and mental illness. With the opportunity to learn about therapies that are keyed in to healing the human spirit and learning about new stress reducing techniques centered around a 12 step network, you will be ensure a lasting recovery. For more information, please call us at 833-801-LIVE as we are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Embracing our Gifts for Recovery

Written by enlightened solutions on January 21, 2019. Posted in 12 Step Program, Recovery. Leave a Comment

When we are embroiled in addiction and mental health issues, sometimes the first thing we abandon is our connection to our gifts, our natural talents and abilities. We neglect our passions and interests to focus on maintaining our addiction. With all the turmoil and distress we’re experiencing, we don’t have the emotional clarity to remember how beneficial our passions can be to our well-being. When we’re stressed and overwhelmed, we don’t have the time or energy for what we consider to be leisure activities. When we prioritize our happiness, however, we give ourselves a huge advantage in the recovery process.

Reconnecting with our gifts is about remembering who we were and what we were passionate about before addiction took hold of our lives. What were you naturally good at, before addiction caused you to forget your talents? What did you excel at? What made you feel inspired and impassioned? What brought joy to your heart and made your soul sing? These interests were given to us as a reason. For many of us, our passions are our calling. We’re meant to pursue them, whether professionally or as hobbies, to make us happy and add light to the world. Our interests bring us a sense of purpose, of fulfillment and accomplishment. When we give time to our passions, we feel proud of ourselves. We feel complete.

By embracing our gifts and talents, we are giving ourselves a healthy outlet for our emotional energy. Our pain and fear have somewhere to go rather than staying stuck and stagnant within us. We allow our energy to flow through creative expression. We’re able to process, express and communicate our difficult emotions in productive and healthy ways. Our pain is transformed into something beautiful, useful and beneficial. We can give these gifts to ourselves and to others, just by being who we naturally are and embracing the talents we were given.

Any time we have a positive outlet for ourselves, we’re less likely to need to turn to our addictions for relief from our pain. Our creative expression becomes our relief instead. Our energy is going to something helpful rather than something detrimental. We encourage and uplift ourselves, adding to our resilience and increasing our capacity for growth and change. We transform ourselves from within, using natural sources of joy as our catalyst. When we add our gifts and passions to our recovery program, we benefit greatly from how much they can help us stay on track with our recovery.

The holistic treatment programs at Enlightened Solutions include art, music, equine therapy, yoga and more to help you discover your own gifts as part of your recovery. Call (833) 801-LIVE.

Identifying Our Self-Destructiveness

Written by enlightened solutions on December 28, 2018. Posted in 12 Step Program, Addiction. Leave a Comment

For those of us living with addictions and mental health issues, one of the common underlying issues many of us share is that of self-destructiveness. We can become so focused on our day-to-day issues that we fail to see that it is our penchant for self-destruction that is at the heart of our difficulties. It can drive everything from our addictive behaviors to our unhealthy relationships, and everything in between. At the root of our tendency to self-destruct is a self-hatred we’ve developed after years of rejecting and judging ourselves. We’ve lost our ability to feel compassion for ourselves. We no longer have self-love or self-acceptance. Our self-worth has plummeted.

When we are self-destructive, we stop taking care of ourselves. We stop showing concern for our safety, our health and our well-being. We associate with people that hurt us. We stay in relationships that are abusive. We engage in dangerous behaviors. We put ourselves at risk. We self-harm. Sometimes we feel we have nothing to lose. We’ve lost hope and feel we have nothing to live for. We feel a deep sense of inadequacy, that nothing we do is ever good enough and that we’ll never live up to our standards of perfection or measure up to other people. We don’t feel worthy or deserving of love.

Our self-destructiveness is reflected not only in our external actions but also in our internal dialogue. We speak and think about ourselves in self-hating and self-disparaging ways. Notice how the voice in your head sounds and the words it uses. Chances are it is critical and judgmental, belittling and unkind. Many of us would never speak about other people the way we speak about ourselves. It’s impossible to love ourselves when we are inundated with such overwhelming feelings of self-rejection.

For many of us, our self-destructiveness comes from unresolved shame we’ve been carrying for much of our lives. We blame ourselves for the traumatic experiences we endured. We feel we are at fault even when we’ve been wronged. We’re always searching for evidence that we’re inadequate, and we cling to anything that makes us feel bad about ourselves as proof of our unworthiness. We refuse to forgive ourselves for our mistakes. Subconsciously we seem to think we ought to be perfect, and we deny ourselves the understanding and compassion necessary for forgiveness.

Healing our self-destructiveness means developing our capacity for self-forgiveness, our ability to accept all of who we are, and the power of unconditional love. Until we heal from our instincts towards self-destruction, we’ll never be able to fully recover.

The staff at Enlightened Solutions has over four decades of combined personal and professional experience with addiction recovery. Let us support you. Call us today: (833) 801-LIVE.

How to Stop Feeling Like You Have to Fix Yourself

Written by enlightened solutions on December 27, 2018. Posted in Healthy Living, wellness. Leave a Comment

Many of us working towards recovery take our healing very seriously. We commit to personal development, self-care, spiritual practice and accountability. In this process, however, we can come to view ourselves as being flawed. We feel as though we have to fix ourselves. This can make us feel inadequate, like something is inherently wrong with us. When we make ourselves feel this way, we’re actually doing ourselves a disservice in our recovery. We’re holding ourselves back and limiting our progress because subconsciously we think we aren’t good enough as we are.

Striving for self-improvement and growth are important for our evolution, but we can operate from a place of encouragement rather than self-disparagement. We can choose to believe in our goodness rather than fixating on our flaws. We can see ourselves as whole beings with potential for growth rather than as imperfect people needing to be fixed. The things we want to improve upon in ourselves only make us stronger; they don’t imply we weren’t good enough already.

When we constantly feel as though we have to fix ourselves, we set out on a quest for perfection that is simply unattainable. We beat ourselves up for every perceived inadequacy in our character. We have to accept our flaws and imperfections as part of the unique individuals we are. We have to learn to have self-acceptance, including everything we don’t love about ourselves, not despite it.

To combat our ingrained feelings of inadequacy, let’s work to change our self-talk. Let’s practice affirming, “I am good enough. I am growing and evolving. I am whole and perfect as I am.” Catch yourself when you start telling yourself you aren’t good enough. Shed your habits of comparing and competing with other people. Heal jealousy and envy by recognizing that we all have light to add to the world, and none of us is better than anyone else.

Personal development adds to our growth and can aid in our recovery, but when we take it too far and constantly feel like there are things we need to fix, we stunt our growth instead. We sometimes can feel like we’re on a never-ending search for improvement. Every day we’re taking inventory of where we need to improve. Take some time to stop fixing, and just start living. Learn to be in the present moment. Embrace the beauty that is everywhere around and within you. Practice gratitude for everything you appreciate about yourself and your life. Let yourself enjoy the rewards of all your hard work.

The treatment programs at Enlightened Solutions include holistic healing modalities that work to heal mind, body and spirit. Call (833) 801-LIVE today for more information.

Learning the Signs of Addiction

Written by enlightened solutions on December 11, 2018. Posted in Addiction Recovery, Drugs & Alcohol. Leave a Comment

Working to prevent addiction can feel like an uphill battle, an impossible undertaking. We can feel like we’re up against an indestructible and formidable force that we have no hope of conquering. An important step we can take in preventing addiction in ourselves, in our loved ones and in the people we work with is to learn the signs of addiction. The warning signs of addiction can often mirror and parallel the signs of mental illness. Since addiction and mental illness often go hand in hand, learning more about the warning signs for both can help us respond to a crisis more quickly and get the help and support that are so urgently needed.

A common sign that an addiction is developing is experiencing increased depression and anxiety. We feel sad and hopeless more of the time. We might be increasingly more worried and stressed. We might be more reactive and experience drastic mood swings and unpredictable changes in our emotions. We might start feeling things we can’t explain and don’t understand. We lose interest in doing the things we once loved to do. We neglect our passions and interests. We isolate ourselves and avoid interaction. We might feel more fatigued and can find ourselves feeling exhausted even without expending much energy. Getting out of bed in the morning can feel impossibly difficult when we’re filled with fear and sadness. We might struggle to get to sleep and suffer from insomnia. We might lose our appetite and stop eating, or start binge eating as an anxious compulsion.

An obvious sign of addiction is an inability to monitor and control our use of a substance or our engagement in a certain behavior. We might see other people being able to drink in moderation, for example, whereas we always seem to overdo it. We might feel as though we can’t stop ourselves, no matter how unhealthy or dangerous we know it to be. We can feel as though we’re losing our sense of self and our ability to live our lives normally.

Learning the signs of addiction can help us to recognize when we are headed down a dangerous path, and can help alert us to the fact that we need help. When we know the signs, we’re more likely to seek out resources and reach out for support.

At Enlightened Solutions, we are a community of people with firsthand, personal experience with addiction and recovery. We have helped countless people heal, and we can help you too. Call us today: (833) 801-LIVE.

Addiction is a Family Disease

Written by enlightened solutions on December 13, 2017. Posted in Addiction, Family Recovery. Leave a Comment

While in the disease of addiction, one may feel that there is no way out. Denial can be so strong it might seem like tunnel vision. Friends and family members may begin to feel that there is no hope for recovery in their loved one- which is extremely depleting and frustrating. Those who have been enabling addictive behavior, must learn about the harms of enabling and why it must be immediately stopped. However, there should be no shame put forth onto the friends and family members of someone struggling with addiction. If there is to be any progress in getting a loved one struggling with addiction the help they need, it’s time for an intervention.

Interventions give those who truly care about their family member or friend struggling with addiction a safe place to have a necessary confrontation. There should be no judgment or prejudice. In no circumstances, should there be screaming and/or violence. Intervening in someone’s life must come from a loving place. There should be a plan put in place, such as detox and treatment. This is the first step in getting the person in the disease away from the substance’s tight hold. Loved ones may have a hard time standing firm, but they too need to accept the powerlessness of the disease. Things have to change and there’s no better time than the present.

There is always the chance that people will not accept help. If this happens there must be consequences. The enabling must stop and there will have to be new found means of survival or life without certain luxuries. The person with the additive behavior needs to hear from loved ones the harm they had caused and the pleas for action. Communication is key for an intervention to take place, which is why it is encouraged to utilize an intervention specialist. This way, family members can learn where they can go for help as well. If there is more than one family member in the addiction, arrangements will be made. It’s a solution for families as a whole because, in the end, it is a family disease.

Enlightened Solutions offers help with addiction, alcoholism and/or mental health. All whose affected will benefit from the healing process. Come to New Jersey and start fighting for a better life today. For more information call: 833-801-LIVE.

Relapse Prevention

Written by enlightened solutions on December 8, 2017. Posted in Addiction, Recovery. Leave a Comment

Living in recovery is a chance to take back life, one day at a time. People with addiction must treat sobriety delicately. What many addicts don’t know at first is that relapse happens days, weeks, months before the behavior physically occurs. Keeping sobriety intact means there must be relapse prevention. There are many tools that help in staying sober, if the addict is willing to use them. Many times treatment centers will suggest 12-step meetings, such as AA. In these support groups, there are suggestions to live sober and sane. It’s a physical and psychological obsession, and there must be active work to keep both running properly. Once the additive behavior has been eliminated, there can be work on the emotional aspect. This is where it can get tricky.

After finishing what can be a brutal detox, it’s time to start on the real work of recovery. Recovery is a lifestyle, not a quick fix. Treatment facilities offer therapy and group sessions focused on how to handle life while still having an addicted mind. It’s as if the brain is being rerouted. It’s a daily struggle to continue down this path but the rewards are substantial. The goal is to work on new coping mechanisms. These must be utilized to fight the desires to fall back into old patterns. Often times, depression and anxiety can lead to relapse, which is why there are ways to keep these emotions at bay. Trauma therapy allows the processing of emotions that had been built up over the years. This paves the way for new emotions to surface and be dealt with appropriately.

Prescribed medications are sometimes necessary for those who are in need. This is vital with those with mental illness and that cannot solely be fixed with yoga and meditation. However, these are only prescribed by doctors, after a medical assessment. This helps keep the mind chemically balanced. Yoga and meditation can take form in different ways and people can choose what works best for their own connection to the soul. Taking care of the body and being out in nature is can also help in many ways. Having a healthy diet is especially important for its nutrients that keep the body systems running accordingly. Each of these mechanisms help in maintaining sobriety.

Enlightened Solutions partial programs offer those seeking recovery a life of sobriety through the mind, body, and spirit. Our dual diagnosis programs support recovery from substance use disorders and mental health related issues. Call us today for information: 833-801-5483.

Traumatic Time of Year

Written by enlightened solutions on December 6, 2017. Posted in Addiction, Mental Health. Leave a Comment

Traumatic events occur in the lives of everyone, and there must be a point made to heal for there to be any kind of growth. Often times people use an addiction to mask painful experiences from the past- a form of denial. Being in denial is extremely common. Denial can take on different looks in different people. Those who are resisting the pain, are simply putting it off. Over time, this will backfire and become an excuse for unhealthy behavior time after time. Taking responsibility for an addiction is similar to taking responsibility for pain. No one goes through life without feeling emotional pain. What needs to be understood is that from this pain, there is room for growth. Those who try to control pain by numbing it, will stall emotional growth from that point forward until they practice acceptance of this fact.

Proper healing involves different freeing techniques to move forward. Coming to a treatment facility will give those with addiction a safe place to let emotions run freely with a therapist who offers confidentiality and comfortability. Post-traumatic stress disorder can lead anyone down a road to isolation, which can many times coincide with addiction. People who don’t know of healthy ways to cope will almost always resort to addictive behavior. It’s easier to let distractions become the only way to get through uncomfortable feelings. The addict mind will justify and rationalize why it’s okay to act out in harmful ways, even when they hadn’t worked out well various times in the past..

Coming into the different scenarios, such as the holiday season, trigger traumatic emotions. Without the knowledge of alternative, healthy options for the addict, there will not be a strong enough amount of resistance against drinking or using. Things may even get worse as time goes on. Trauma can also become passed down from generation to generation if not taken care. The mind can get complicated with traumatic events. Sometimes trauma will be hidden and only therapy specifically geared towards the issue will result in becoming free from its bondage. There’s no reason for trauma to control life when there is help available.

If you are struggling with addiction, there is a solution! Enlightened Solution’s holistic, clinical and 12-step approach can improve the mind, body, and soul. Start growing and moving forward in life! Call us in New Jersey today: 833-801-5483.

How to Handle Holiday Stress

Written by enlightened solutions on December 5, 2017. Posted in Addiction, Addiction Recovery. Leave a Comment

The holiday season can be complicated for everyone. It’s important to start planning ahead of the season before it hits you like a ton of bricks. Being prepared for the madness of the season is vital. There will be stressors such as family, finances, sugar and other various issues that pop up. It is recommended for those who have depression and anxiety to keep up appointments with therapist, counselors, and other support. Staying close to the solution is the safest bet when entering such a chaotic time of year. People with addiction must use their tools and coping mechanisms to survive all of the holiday parties and events. One wrong turn can bring upon a preventable disaster.

Different customs permit for spending during the holidays and this can throw a wrench into a finely tuned budget. Being smart with money is easier said than done. Those with addiction who hold on to past behavior can lead to feelings of guilt and shame. Children who had been caught in the crossfire, now have sober parents back, and that may feel foreign. It’s easy for parents to want to make up for lost time by overcompensating. Speaking with someone about this urge will help with compulsively spending money. This doesn’t make up for past harm as much as spending quality time with loved ones presently. The stress will then rub off on the child, which defeats the purpose altogether.

To be realistic and without expectations, will take a person a long way. In early recovery, it’s easy to feel pressured into trying to make everything “perfect” again. Staying present and letting go of control during the holidays will give less of a reason to break down which could possibly trigger a desire to relapse. Going to support groups regularly will help with urges and offers the opportunity to talk about what’s going on. Having sober things to do can distract from old behaviors and habits. If there are parties that are triggering, simply don’t go. Do not let the holidays control your behavior and sobriety. This can be the biggest transformation of the year!

Enlightened Solutions offers solution-based tool and coping mechanisms to handle life at its best and worst. If you or if you know someone is struggling with addiction this holiday season, call us today for information on our partial care programs for recovery at: 833-801-5483. It’s time to take back your life!

Tag: Substance Abuse