When Addiction Begins at the Doctor’s Office

So often we think of addiction as being born of some malignant or unsavory circumstance. We think of the rebellious adolescent who steals their parents’ oxy or use their Adderall prescription to escape reality. We think of the friend that chose drugs over their loved ones and are lost to us forever, or of the dishonest junkie who will lie and abuse to get what they need. These narratives have, in their own way, prevented the proliferation of more enlightened treatment culture, and ignore a fundamental reality of modern substance abuse: sometimes addiction begins right in our physicians’ offices.

The medical profession has been linked to the rise of prescription addiction. For starters, data indicates that as much as 14 percent of American doctors and nurses struggle with addiction. Increased access to benzos and opioids, and professional intense professional pressure, has created something of a perfect storm for abuse among this specialized professional group. Additionally, doctors routinely prescribe more than the CDC’s recommendations for first-time users. In 2013, generic hydrocodone was the most commonly prescribed drug under Medicare. The reality is that the link between addiction and the medial profession is evident on both sides of the receptionist’s desk.

We rely on our physicians and medical practitioners to guide us toward positive health. It’s helpful to remember, however, that our doctors and nurses are human and are, thus, subject to the same weaknesses and temptations as their patients. We can continue to rely on their counsel, while educating ourselves and talking to them clearly and coherently about our concerns. We can even push back if we feel our current course of treatment isn’t working for us; after all, these are our bodies and it is our health at stake. Taking a more active role in our overall health can provide an additional layer of insulation from physician error.

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The Impact of Addiction on Community Life

Long Island has a drug problem; this is no longer in dispute. On July 14, Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas charged 31 people in what she described as one of the largest drug busts in Nassau’s history. The bust was the result of a year-long investigation from by the Long Island law enforcement and the FBI’s Gang Task Force. Among the items seized in the bust were a kilo of cocaine, hundreds of grams of heroin, and a cache of assault weapons. While authorities suspect that the leader of being a resident of Uniondale, it’s hard to accept that this was ring formed in a local vacuum. Some of those arrested are reportedly from Upstate New York.

Perhaps one of the most jarring revelations of the bust was that many arrested sold these drugs right out of their house in Hempstead. Authorities estimate that more than 50 dealers and several larger operations have consolidated into one entity, which saw sales of about $3 million in the last four months alone. The community impact can be felt not just in Long Island, but throughout the state. Many of these transactions of drugs for money are taking place in plain view of children, according to authorities. They also said that at least one batch of heroin sold by the ring caused five people to overdose.

Substance abuse and addiction takes root via many circumstances, one of the more common of which include environment and community exposure. While it’s naïve to think that these problems can be solved overnight, and these conditions are hardly a new discovery for those living in Long Island, these busts further underscore the need for grassroots community prevention efforts. Enforcement of current drug laws must be supplemented by contextual education and alternatives, and this begins in the very communities that addiction impacts. With hundreds in Long Island, and many more throughout the state dying from overdoses each year, the need for an all-hands-on-deck approach has never been more urgent.

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Addressing the Root Causes of Addiction

Context and understanding is everything—in addiction and life in general. The only way to truly solve a manage a problem is to figure out the systemic failures that led to it and address them so they can be confronted and kept under control. Those of us who have struggled with drug or alcohol dependency learn this first-hand while we are in treatment. A fundamental part of the rehab process is helping us to understand the behavioral factors that have led to and sustained our substance abuse. Without this knowledge, we have no frame of reference for behavior modification and the factors that we need to avoid if we’re to achieve long-term sobriety.

Confronting our pasts and traumas can be a difficult process. There is a reason why many of us have buried these incidents deep down and used drugs and alcohol to cope with them. For some, facing reality is scary. However, it’s a necessary part of the recovery process. The unfortunate truth is that many of us experience ugly and unthinkable traumas throughout our lives that we’d very much like to forget. These incidents occur through no fault of our own and we’re left to deal with the aftermath, and that can be too much. When we finally face these traumas, with the help of our therapists and treatment providers, we take the first step toward independence from our pasts.

One of the important things to remember is that addressing the root causes of our addictions is an ongoing process. Each one of our circumstances is unique and will require varying levels of time to manage and come to terms with. As helpful as treatment is in getting the process started, there is no magical “readiness” light that goes on when we leave our programs. This is why it is important to continue our therapy or 12 step program even rehab. It was a complex and multifaceted series of circumstances that brought us to addiction, and ultimately, it will be our own ability to untangle this web that will allow us to take our lives back and sustain our long-term sobriety.

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Why Effective Treatment Must Include Detox

The rigors of drug and alcohol addiction inflict severe and often permanent damage to our brain, body and central nervous system. The very nature of chemical dependency is that it renders us unable to make our own decisions because our brain chemistry has been essentially hijacked by these drugs. Without proper help, the withdrawal process can be extremely difficult, if not impossible to manage. This is why each drug or alcohol addiction treatment program must begin with a thorough and medically supervised course of detoxification or “detox”. Detox helps patients become medically stable prior to rehab and can address long-term health issues that have emerged as a result of substance abuse.

Many treatment centers refer patients to nearby facilities because they are not able to offer detox on premises; others are able to offer the complete treatment experience all at one location. Either way it’s important that treatment begin with this critical first phase. Medically supervised detox offers experienced physicians and nurses who are trained in the withdrawal process, and can mitigate the severity of their withdrawal symptoms. They can also intervene in the event of a medical emergency, which as many of us know, is not out of the realm of possibility during the first few days of the recovery process.

Treatment, at its core, is a multilateral effort that must address the many different aspects of our addiction. It does us no good to receive care for the physical problems we experience without any behavioral context for how we can achieve long-term sobriety. On the opposite side of the coin, we must first make sure we are healthy enough to embark on rehab before we can think clearly and establish coping mechanisms. We must be willing and able to accept the complete treatment package if we’re to successfully overcome our substance abuse. The first step is making sure we’ve arrested the physical aspects of our addiction.

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Senator Schumer Looks to Ban Synthetic Drugs

Synthetic drugs like K2 and spice are once again rearing their heads in New York, as one lawmaker sets his sites on a permanent ban. The resurgence has prompted democratic Senator Charles Schumer to push for a permanent barring of 22 substances that activate these drugs so they can no longer flood the market. Last week, there were approximately 130 synthetic drug overdoses in New York, a trend that is troubling local and federal lawmakers and compelling them to action. Last year, there were over 6,000 incidents of hospitalization for K2 overdose. As the region continues to battle longstanding heroin and opioid abuse, threats like synthetic drug abuse persist in many communities.

Schumer is calling for a “federal hammer” to strike down the proliferation of synthetic drugs before the problem escalates any further. He claims that banning these substances will help federal regulators curb the flow these substances. The legislation he’s proposing will significantly regulate synthetic cannabinoids, which, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, can be 100 times more potent than THC, the active ingredient in marijuana. The measure also calls for the regulation of certain kinds of the opioid fentanyl, a powerful painkiller that has led to more and more overdoses and fatalities over the past few years.

The bi-partisan bill would designate more chemicals as Schedule 1 controlled substances, but may not take into account the larger problem. The evolution of synthetic drug development has seen cycle after cycle of regulation and subsequent infiltration of new and legal drugs. Chemists change a few compounds so the drug is virtually the same, but different enough not to be classified as a controlled substance. While this legislation may be a proactive measure, it may need to be accompanied by more prevention and treatment efforts. Schumer also plans to introduce legislation that would give the DEA more latitude to ban unlisted chemicals.

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When Distraction Becomes Destruction

The concept of focus seems simple enough to most of us, right? Just dial in and concentrate and you will reap the rewards. So much of our recovery journeys, however, are spent fighting distractions and make sure we’re on track with our post-treatment plans. As easy as it seems on paper, our past-and even our present and future-have a way of compelling us to take our eye off the prize. How many of us are quick to enter a relationship when we clearly aren’t ready? How many of us take on more responsibility at work because we feel like we have to prove something to ourselves or others? How many of us feel compelled to reestablish some of the old behavioral patterns and relationships that led to our substance abuse in the first place because we’ve convinced ourselves that we can handle it.

The truth is that distraction lurks around every corner, and if we’re not careful, it can lead to relapse. This is not to say that we can’t have a full life in recovery; it just means that we have to be careful and ever mindful of our emotional growth and readiness. We can evaluate our level of readiness to take on more in life by consistently performing self-diagnostics and asking ourselves a series of fundamental questions: How have we been doing in our recovery? Are we working on the issues in our lives that we need to? What are some of the areas of our lives that could use attention? Are we ready to take on more? By asking ourselves these fundamental questions, and answering them honestly, we can give ourselves a better of idea the next life-steps for which we may or may not be ready.

If we allow distractions to become overwhelming, we leave ourselves considerably more vulnerable to setbacks. It may start off small like missing a meeting or two because of something that we feel is more important. From there, it may only be a few small steps before we’re putting the needs of others before our own in an effort to gain some level of short-term satisfaction. Before we know it, things can very quickly become unmanageable and leave us looking for new and “familiar” ways to cope. This can all be avoided by just regularly analyzing our progress and recovery and being honest regarding our capacity to focus and our ongoing needs.

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The Definition and Benefits of Self-Care

When endeavoring to define the term “self-care”, it may seem like a no-brainer; however, once we apply this concept to addiction recovery, it becomes a bit more complicated. Each person’s substance abuse history is unique and thus, their immediate and ongoing therapy will be unique as well. It’s important to define what self-care techniques work for us early on so we can immediately begin to integrate them into our post-treatment lives. Once we identify which self-care techniques work best for us, we acquire more tools in our recovery arsenal to sustain sobriety and avoid relapse. It’s just one more way to insulate us from a setback.

All things being equal, self care is defined as any intentional action we take to promote and improve our own physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health. When we apply this concept to addiction care, it gets tied to the development of our emotional strength and confidence. It’s important to approach our self-care regimens with the knowledge that our physical and mental health is largely connected. What we eat, how treat our bodies and our levels of fitness are all cornerstones of self-care. There are, however, some other more targeted methods from which we may benefit.

Meditation – Ten minutes of silent meditation in the morning can drastically alter the trajectory of our day. It can help us align our priorities so we don’t get overwhelmed. It can help lower our blood pressure and better equip us to handle the pressures of day-to-day life.

Alternative Pain Management Techniques – Pain is a common part of the withdrawal process and it can often last for months or even years after detox. Therapies like massage, acupuncture and other holistic techniques can help us alleviate the intensity of chronic pain without the use of addictive opioids.

Ongoing Psychotherapy – Not only is continued therapy a critical element of self-care; it’s also a cornerstone of most of our post-treatment recovery plans. As helpful as treatment is, we often only begin to scratch the psychological surface during our time in rehab. The reality is that we are always on a journey of personal growth, and we should take every opportunity to gain heightened self-awareness.

Self-care is a powerful weapon against the onset of relapse. How we choose to practice this concept in our everyday lives is different for all of us; but it’s important that we figure it out sooner rather than later.

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