Recovery Fellowship During Thanksgiving

Cheerful group of people with sparkles together celebrating New Year eve

All of us at 10 Acre Ranch would like to wish everyone in recovery a safe and sober Thanksgiving. With less than 24 hours to go, it’s vital you have or are creating a plan for getting through the day. If this isn’t your first significant holiday in the Program, you know that this can be a difficult time for a substantial number of people. There is a list of reasons why holidays are more trying on one’s recovery, compared to standard days of the year.

One of the byproducts of many people’s addiction is your dear ones may have cut ties with you. Years and decades of abuse can wear one’s loved one’s thin; while it is possible to rekindle relationships in recovery, it doesn’t occur overnight. You can’t blame family for being skeptical about your recovery, at first, they must protect themselves from upset. In early recovery, the risk of relapse is unfortunately high, because of this families are cautious not to get their hopes up. If your story is anything like most people in recovery, then you have a history of breaking commitments and falling short of expectations.

Please do not get discouraged if your family chooses to stay on the periphery of your life for now. In time, your actions will prove to your family just how earnest you are, they will see that your choice to seek recovery is not another manipulation. If there is one thing addicts and alcoholics understand well, it’s that one’s word doesn’t carry much weight. Without visible action, people are unlikely to believe one’s seriousness regarding recovery. Those who honestly work the program will not receive any guarantees in life, but family is likely to come around to trusting you again, if one stays the course.

A Family in Recovery

You may not have family back in your life, yet, but rest assured they are in fact rooting for your recovery. It’s crucial that you keep doing the next right thing in the program, regardless of how you feel about what you don’t have in your life today. Instead, be grateful for what you do have, like a fellowship of men who will do just about anything to help your recovery.

In early recovery, individuals have a fellowship to rely on when times get rough. It’s wise to lean on such people during the holidays, for these are days of the year that are likely to stir up one’s emotions. People relatively new to the program are often inclined to isolate during major holidays. It’s only natural, many people’s go-to-setting is to recoil into their shell when they are unhappy with the situation. For some, being unable to spend time with family this Thanksgiving is a severe blow. It can make one question why they are bothering with this “recovery stuff” anyway?

Naturally, that’s a selfish and self-centered response to an undesirable situation. When we can’t get what we want when we want it, it’s common to bemoan one’s position. If you find yourself questioning your mission for change this Thanksgiving, please call your sponsor or another person in recovery immediately. Get to a meeting, or go to several; you have a support network, please utilize it whenever necessary. You may not have biological family back in your life yet, but you do have recovery family now. You are not alone, others are feeling the same way you are, and meetings are a perfect opportunity to hear how others manage these situations. Who knows, you might share something that helps another who’s having a hard time, as well.

Sober Holidays

Everything that happens in our recovery takes place on our “higher power’s” schedule. Exercising patience is difficult early on, but it gets simpler in time. Traversing the holidays is exponentially more comfortable if you take time throughout your day to recognize everything you have today is worth your gratefulness. If you didn’t drink or drug today, that’s as good a starting point as any. You may find that you have more to be grateful for then you realized, draw strength from such a realization. And remember, wherever you are, the helping-hand of recovery is close.

Addiction Treatment After Overdose

man lying in bed hospitalized because of drug overdose

It’s difficult for some people to grasp the driving forces of addiction. Upon hearing of someone’s overdose, one might think that an event like that would wake someone up to reality. Ideally, an overdose would be a catalyst for seeking help, assistance in the form of addiction treatment. There are instances when an overdose is the straw that breaks the camel’s back, prompting someone to seek treatment. Sadly, some individuals experience several overdoses before coming to terms with their situation. The realization: Seek recovery or perish from the disease.

In the wake of the opioid addiction epidemic, overdose is on most people’s mind. One doesn’t need to have a history of addiction to understand the gravity of the situation. Efforts to make the lifesaving overdose reversal drug naloxone more available have spared thousands of lives. However, a cure for overdose is not an antidote for addiction.

man lying in bed hospitalized because of drug overdose

When overdose victims are not encouraged and steered toward treatment, history is bound to repeat itself. A new study makes that reality abundantly clear, nearly 10% of revived patients dying within one year of the overdose. Half of them died within one month of being treated with naloxone, Morningstar reports. The findings were presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP). The findings highlight the need for treatment after an overdose revival.

Addiction Treatment Is A Must

Some 140 Americans perish from overdose each day in the United States. Even more people are revived, and such individuals are at the pinnacle of despair. In such a state, one is more likely to see the value of recovery. The problem is that many OD survivors are not connected with addiction treatment professionals at the time. When faced with experiencing days of withdrawal sickness or using again, the latter is almost always the choice.

“Patients who survive opioid overdoses are by no means ‘out of the woods,’” says lead study author Dr. Scott Weiner. “These patients continue to be at high-risk for overdose and should be connected with additional resources such as counseling, treatment and buprenorphine.”

While addiction treatment services exist all around the country, in certain areas accessing help isn’t easy. If people can’t find a bed at a facility or have to wait, they are apt to return to using. More treatment centers are needed in rural America, where high rates of overdose per capita are occurring. The researchers shared a survey at the ACEP meeting, the findings of which were troubling:

“Virtually every emergency physician has seen firsthand the tragedy of opioid addiction,” said Paul Kivela, MD, FACEP, president of ACEP. “The consequences of this epidemic are playing out in the nation’s emergency departments. Almost all the emergency physicians responding to an ACEP poll (87 percent) reported that the number of patients seeking opioids has increased or remained the same. More than half (57 percent) said that detox and rehabilitation facilities were rare or never accessible.”

Breaking the Cycle of Addiction

Without help, the odds of overcoming opioid use disorder on one’s own are slim to none. Addiction treatment works and services should be available to people at the time of an overdose. If you or a loved one experienced an overdose recently, please contact 10 Acre Ranch immediately. We can help break the cycle of addiction and show you how a life in recovery is possible. Picking up the phone or contacting us online is the first step.

Addiction Treatment Funding Cuts

woman taking post-surgery pain medication

In the wake of an opioid addiction epidemic more Americans than ever see the value of use disorder treatment. It doesn’t matter where you come from, the color of your skin, or your socio-economic standing — survival is contingent upon getting help. When people can’t access addiction treatment they remain in a vicious cycle; substance use disorder has the power to cut one’s life short. This is why we need to make sure our los angeles addiction treatment centres are properly funded!

When taking addiction into consideration, it’s easy to think that the problems in the U.S. are unique. It’s an opioid addiction epidemic, after all, not a pandemic. However, alcohol and substance use disorder is a severe problem in other parts of the western world. Many countries face obstacles similar to our own regarding getting people the help they need.

Addiction is deadly. Treating such conditions usually comes at a steep price; a bill that in many cases falls on the Federal and state governments to foot. Logically: Investing money into addiction treatment service saves lives. The data overwhelmingly supports the above conclusion; something that the United Kingdom had to learn the hard way.

Cutting Addiction Treatment Funding

In recent history, countries in the western world have been forced to address opioid use disorder. Again, the U.S. may have the most severe problem with such drugs, but others have been affected as well. While it’s hard to compare our staggering overdose deaths rates to other countries, any number of deaths is not right, and precautions should be taken to mitigate.

The U.K. has witnessed a trend from which we can all learn something — funding addiction treatment is a must. Wherever funding for addiction treatment gets cut, more people die from an overdose in England, The Guardian reports. Areas with heightened mortality rates directly correlate with treatment spending reductions.

In 2016, there were 3,744 overdose deaths compared with 2,640 a decade ago. That may not seem like much when compared to the 64,000 overdose deaths in America U.S. last year. Those were 3,744 mothers and fathers, and they were somebody’s children. Directing the necessary funds toward addiction treatment might have prevented some of those deaths.

“Funding cuts are reducing the ability of drug treatment services to reduce the risk of death among people using heroin,” said Alex Stevens, criminal justice professor at the University of Kent. “The government is fully aware that drug-related deaths are highest in the places with the highest levels of deprivation and that they are cutting budgets the deepest in areas with deepest deprivation.”

Treatment Is Worth the Investment

When it comes to addressing addiction, treatment is the most effective way to prevent future overdose events. Life in recovery is possible, but without help, it is challenging to break the cycle of addiction. The United Kingdom is not alone, here at home public addiction treatment services require much more significant investment than currently exists.

If you or a loved one is in need of addiction treatment, please contact 10 Acre Ranch. Our affordable program is for men who are ready to take specific steps for a better life. We can help make your recovery a reality.

Recovery: Newcomers Learn About Fun

photo of young people during an addiction treatment

When people contemplate the decision to seek addiction treatment and recovery, there are several false perceptions. Individuals have ideas in their mind about what they think recovery is, and perhaps more importantly—what it is not. Misconceptions keep people from beneficial pursuits; unfamiliarity is often a roadblock to recovery.

If much of a person’s life has been about substance use, it’s hard to imagine having a good time without drugs or alcohol. Thinking that fun is contingent upon substance use means that without drugs or alcohol there will be no enjoyment, logically. However, that is a faulty line of reasoning for the simple fact that fun can be experienced clean and sober. You only need to ask people working a program to find out that they’re not sticks-in-the-mud.

Walking into a meeting for the first time is usually an eye-opening experience. Newcomers witness the unexpected, people smiling without chemical encouragement. In the rooms, laughter is heard before, during, and after the meeting. People are happy to see one another, and plans are made to extend the socialization outside of the meeting hall. If you are new to the program, quickly you’ll come to understand that fun in recovery is more than possible. Fun in recovery is a requirement!

Enjoying the Fruits of Your Labor In Recovery

Working a program of recovery is hard work; one must engage in significant reflection, processing, and spiritual maintenance. While working the Steps with a sponsor one has to confront aspects of one’s life that is troubling. Recovery lifts the curtain on your life revealing “your” part in the misfortunes that your disease brought you. An enormous effort to be sure, emotionally draining to the point of some newcomers leaving before the miracle happens. To put it another way, people were not ready, to be honest with themselves and others. Hopefully, such individuals find their way back to the rooms, sooner rather than later.

Newcomers who are willing to do whatever it takes to recover will learn the joy that comes with self-discovery. The process takes time, but it will be worth it, and that will become clear in short order. Along the way, you will develop lasting friendships with people who will be there when the going gets tough. Such people will be there during the rough times and, equally valuable, during the good times. When we get our house in order, we can enjoy ourselves; both inside the rooms and out. On page 132 of “The Big Book” of Alcoholics Anonymous, it states:

“But we aren’t a glum lot. If newcomers could see no joy or fun in our existence, they wouldn’t want it. We absolutely insist on enjoying life… We think cheerfulness and laughter make for usefulness. Outsiders are sometimes shocked when we burst into merriment over a seemingly tragic experience out of the past. But why shouldn’t we laugh? We have recovered, and have been given the power to help others.”

The Promise of Recovery

Every day, people around the world committed to working a program find ways to enjoy themselves in recovery. Many of those people would probably tell you that they couldn’t ever imagine having sober-fun before recovery.

Life in the Program is not without difficulty, but it’s a balanced life. Rough weather always passes, and the sunshine always returns; because we manage our problems spiritually not chemically, today. If you are ready to experience the joys that accompany a program of recovery, please contact 10 Acre Ranch. We place great emphasis on showing you that fun in recovery is possible.

Mental Health: Anxiety and Depression’s Toll

Photo of a Pretty Depressed Young Woman, Looking Down by a Window, Worried or Sad.

Taking time off from work to address your mental health is of the utmost importance. If people typically don’t go to work with the flu, then should they go to work when experiencing a depressive episode? They shouldn’t, but more times than not they do because they fear repercussions from their employer. A trend that affects both individuals and society; hopefully, employers will start encouraging their staff to put their own needs first.

Society looks at mental illness as being something that the afflicted can control. If people changed their perspective, they would feel better. As if people choose to be depressed, anxious, and manic; why would anyone want that type of existence? The truth is, they wouldn’t.

Mental health disorders are real, treatable, and recovery is possible. More people would recover with encouragement from society via empathy. Everyone benefits when people who need help are empowered to seek it, but far too often such people are not. Individuals with mental health conditions feel as though they must hide their symptoms. They fear what might happen if their peers found out, or worse, their boss. In many cases, people forgo treatment because of that fear.

Mental health in the Workplace

On this blog, our primary focus is use disorders, a mental illness that affects millions of Americans. Without treatment, people with substance use disorder typically have three outcomes: jails, institutions, and death. The same can be said for other forms of mental health conditions, as well. It’s also worth reminding readers that mental illness often comes in pairs, a dual-diagnosis. When a person meets the criteria for substance use disorder and another condition like depression, they have a co-occurring disorder.

People around the world who have been touched by mental illness (first or second-hand) observed World Mental Health Day on Tuesday. The World Health Organization (WHO) chose the theme of mental health in the workplace in an attempt to encourage employers to show more significant compassion. WHO provided data to show how prevalent mental illness is around the world, allowing people to understand the gravity of the situation.

More than 300 million people battle depression each year, and more than 260 million have anxiety disorders. Employers might be wondering why these figures matter. The answer: Depression and anxiety disorders together cost the global economy US$ 1 trillion/per year in lost productivity. If people with these conditions were empowered to get the help they need, then everyone wins. WHO writes:

“Employers and managers who put in place workplace initiatives to promote mental health and to support employees who have mental disorders see gains not only in the health of their employees but also in their productivity at work. A negative working environment, on the other hand, may lead to physical and mental health problems, harmful use of substances or alcohol, absenteeism and lost productivity.”

Dual Diagnosis Treatment

At 10 Acre Ranch, we hope that employers around the world will pay heed to the stark statistics provided by WHO. Doing so could lead to millions of people finding recovery. If you are struggling with a co-occurring disorder, please contact us to discuss your treatment options. We can help you get on the road to long-term addiction and mental health recovery.

E-Cigarettes Could Save Millions of Lives

woman using e-cigarrette

Nicotine is a highly addictive drug that keeps tobacco users coming back for more. If you are in recovery, then you know that many of your peers are still smoking cigarettes. You may still be a smoker yourself. Perhaps you have tried quitting in the past, but were unable to manage the difficult task at that time. Those of you who are regular readers of this blog might remember a post from several months back. One that discussed the risks of smoking to your recovery. Hopefully, the post struck a chord and made you reconsider your relationship with nicotine.

While quitting smoking is difficult, it is possible. There are a number of methods that can help mitigate the likelihood of starting again after quitting. All such products you are undoubtedly aware of. In recent years there has been a lot of talk about electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes. Health experts have been trying to get a grasp on the risks and benefits of using the devices. Both for smoking cessation purposes and/or replacing one nicotine vehicle for another. If you are trying to quit smoking and this is something that interests you, then you should take a look at a website like Vaping360. Hopefully, this might be the thing to help you quit smoking for good.

If you have been following the news about such research, then you know that there isn’t a real consensus. Some argue that e-cigs are worse than traditional cigarettes. But, not necessarily for the reasons that traditional cigarettes are bad for you. Others debate whether they are an effective way to quit smoking altogether. Again, the research is both new and relatively inconclusive in that regard. However, a cursory review of the available research indicates experts tend to agree on one front. Traditional cigarettes are worse than e-cigarettes for one’s health.

E-Cigarettes Might Save Your Life

Vaping is what e-cigarette use has come to be called. And in the rooms of recovery there are many-a-vaper. Perhaps you use an electronic cigarette? If so, there is some new research that you may find of particular interest. Researchers from Georgetown Lombardi Cancer Center contend that e-cigarettes can save millions of lives, according to a GMUC press release. In fact, as many as 6.6 million cigarette smokers will live substantially longer by making the switch. The research showed that smokers could gain 86 million years of life if they switch to vaping. So if this is something that you are interested in, then one thing that you take a look at buying would be buying something like these vape & dab pen batteries.

“In addition, there would be tremendous health benefits including reduced disease disability to smokers, reduced pain and suffering, and reduced exposure to second hand smoke,” says the study’s lead author David Levy, PhD, professor of oncology at Georgetown Lombardi. “Even the gloomiest analysis shows a significant gain in years of life if nicotine is obtained from vaping instead of much more deadly amount of toxicants inhaled with cigarette smoke.”

The team of researchers believe that e-cigarettes should become an important part of the U.S. tobacco prevention policy. The status quo isn’t going to cut it. Smokers should be encouraged to make the switch to e-cigarettes. The findings were published in the journal Tobacco Control.

Protecting Your Recovery

Ideally, everyone dependent upon nicotine would give it up all together. But, reality dictates a common-sense approach. If e-cigarettes are the lesser of two evils with regard to one’s health and longevity, smokers should consider switching. What’s more, it may be possible to step back one’s reliance on nicotine by using e-cigarettes. Given that you can get varying degrees of nicotine strength, with the goal of working your way to nicotine-free vapor.

At 10 Acre Ranch, we encourage all of our clients to give smoking cessation serious thought. We can help you break-free from tobacco while learning how to live a life in recovery. Please contact us if you are ready to take steps toward recovery.