Drug addiction can be a very lonely experience despite what some people might think. It comes with emotional highs and lows, financial pressures to keep up with substance purchases, and lies being told to loved ones. People may turn their back on you when they realize that you have a serious addiction problem and don’t know how to get out of it. Behind closed doors, people with addictions don’t know who to turn to and they could wonder if they will have to hide their habits for the rest of their lives. If you’re someone who is suffering from an addiction, remember that you aren’t a bad person. Anyone is vulnerable to building addictions, especially if their family has a history of addictive personalities who regularly get caught into trouble. People with addictions still need help, just as much help, and ample love from others who genuinely care about their well-being. But how is that accomplished if the people around them don’t’ understand their experience?

In order to live a life not needing drugs or alcohol, a person with an addiction problem can take out a recovery companion to gain the emotional support, reliable advice, and companionship they crave for. Their parents won’t know how to deal with withdrawal effects to recognizing triggers of addiction, but their recovery companion will. Their friends may leave their door stop with disappoint and vow to cut ties, but a recovery companion vows to be there for the addict no matter what throughout the entire treatment process. In fact, a recovery companion’s job is to make sure that an addict stays away from people who influence them negatively, rebuild their sense of self confidence, and connect them to local support systems outside of themselves. They help the addict build the bridge to cross over from feeling isolated and defeated to strong and capable. Without that help, an addict could feel like they have no hope and their lifestyle could fall into an even deeper hole than before. Let’s discuss key benefits of getting connected to a recovery companion and whether or not it’s the perfect choice for you during treatment.

Support Group, Recovery Companion, Or Both? 

With the stress of having to deal with addiction, people may not know what actions to take first. If you are seeking treatment you need to weigh your options of whether a support group, recovery companion, or accessing both will help you the most. This comes down to your personality type, your lifestyle, and your time commitment to participating enough with resources. If some key things to remember when you are making a decision include:

• How much time you have during the week. While it sounds great to have access to a support group and a recovery companion, you may need to choose the outlet that best suits your socialization style. If you only have a few hours to spare and can’t make meetings because of family responsibilities, a long commute, or a demanding job, having a recovery companion will be better since they can be reached nearly all the time by the phone. You don’t have to meet them at a pre scheduled time in some facility when you need to get into contact with them. If you of have a lot of free time and thrive in socializing with larger groups of people, a support group may be more beneficial since you’ll get to meet people from all walks of life. Together, you can benefit from diversity of thought, shared tips to battle withdrawal symptoms, and hopefully become a strong knit group of friends as you go through treatment.
• How dependent you are on others. If you are someone who regularly calls your mom when any problem arises, you may benefit more from a recovery companion. While calling you mom is great and isn’t sometime be looked down on, she can’t be solve all your problems like anyone else in your life. With a recovery companion, you can reach out whenever you stumble across an issue with your treatment.
• How many symptoms you have. This is a grey area since you should be in contact with a doctor if you have serious withdrawal symptoms. However, more often than not we don’t have the time to go to the hospital. More simple issues and questions can be probably solved with the help of a recovery companion since they were right in your shoes. If you don’t know what counselor is best in the area, don’t know why you are having a terrible headache, or don’t know what foods to eat to feel physically better, they may know the answer. Their job is to make you feel comfortable and supported no matter what happens. They need to gain new ways of thinking, a new perspective on handling problems, and form healthier habits that will last a lifetime.
• How many temptations you have. Drug addiction is a long and bumpy road without knowing how to strategically deal with your triggers. This is exactly why having unwavering support is so important beyond the scope of treatment itself. Our friends and family will have their own problems to handle and can’t help you identify what people, smells, sights, or sounds are best to stay away from as you go through treatment. Your companion will help you write down a list of everything you feel is unhealthy from you and develop a custom plan to deal with them in the long run. These behavioral adaptations take some time to become habit, and that’s why support beyond treatment is so important.
• How you like to talk to people. If you prefer face to face interaction, support from counseling and therapy for addiction are great so you gain more intimate conversations with people who truly understand what you are going through. You can find group therapy, individual therapy, and more to see which one works best for your recovery. In the larger discussions, you learn more about everyone’s experiences and can shoot of ideas easily to the leader. With a recovery companion, you likely will be texting or calling them more than seeing them face to face. But that is entirely up to you. Some younger adults like having a digital conversation more than a traditional one, especially if they’re extremely busy or feel shy at times around new people. For example, someone who is in college and is dealing with twenty credit hours of classes may benefit from a recovery companion more than a mother who’s staying at home to take care of her child. Both are equally capable to gain treatment successfully, but one may have different preferences over the other.

Recovery Companion For Success

If you want to be in connection with more than just one person while you go through recovery, joining a support group may be better for you. If you like building fewer but closer relationships, a recovery companion is a great step. You know better than anyone one else what you like so take that into account as you begin choosing between treatment support options. Never hesitate to reach out for help as you won’t know all the answers either. Approach problems with a clear head and try to remain as relaxed as possible if you are dealing with annoying withdrawal symptoms. Your support group will help you navigate the waves and come out successful if you stick it out!

Combating addiction in San Francisco has been a hot topic as more people than ever are suffering from drug addiction and mental illness in the state of California. In order to deal with the issue and introduce the idea dual diagnosis to people who may not know about its benefits like the homeless, San Francisco is introducing new within the city’s most dense areas. They hope to combat addiction and substance abuse in the city by educating low income areas that tend to show higher rates of drug violence, abuse, and other related crimes. By providing free of charge medications, family counseling, and withdrawal effect management help, the city has big plans for the new few years and are eager to improve their condition. Let’s walk through how San Francisco is planning to introduce dual diagnosis and how it’s following the chain of other large metropolitan areas who are establishing similar programs.

Introducing Dual Diagnosis Treatment 

To help people who have a hard time overcoming drug addiction and mental illness, dual diagnosis treatment addresses both issues at once so they can sustainably switch to a healthier lifestyle. Experts describe dual diagnosis as a term that describesa person who has a mood disorder such as depression or bipolar disorder and a problem with alcohol or drugs. As a result, the person who has a dual diagnosis will have to deal with two separate illnesses which need two separate treatment plans so they don’t relapse to their old habits. Any combination of mental illnesses like anxiety, depression, PTSD, and drug or alcohol addictions can qualify someone as a dual diagnosis patient. Since it’s hard to pinpoint where someone’s symptoms are coming from, normal drug rehab facilities may not be completely equipped to deal with their problems and provide no “quick fix”. Treatment could take a few months to even a year depending on the situation. The good news that integrated treatment is highly successful when medication and thorough counseling is provided to a patient.

Addiction in San Francisco has been getting worse in the past decade, which is why San Francisco’s mayor is introducing a first-of-its-kind plan to bring treatment for drug addiction directly to neighborhoods. The program aims to help drug addicts with buprenorphine, a medication regularly used to help patients quit their opiate addiction and stop cravings. Buprenorphine is usually taken as a film placed on the tongue or in pill form generally dispensed by doctors or other providers. Doses are provided in bunches so patients don’t need to keep returning throughout the month.  The program is a follow-up strategy to a 2016 pilot program where city workers stopped into homeless shelters to hand out buprenorphine to people in need. They reported that at least 60% people who got the medication stayed clean after use. The new program will commit $3 million and 10 new employees in the medication team to being offering people buprenorphine. Mayor Farrell said the huge amount of money needed for the program would be resourced from the city’s general fund, while at least a third of the funds will be carried about by Medi-Cal. Over the next two months, the program is expected to be rolled out and Farrell has high hopes that it will leave a major difference in the community.

Homelessness And Addiction

Although the new San Francisco program is expensive and will require a lot of labor, it has already treated nearly 100 people who are staying with treatments in the long run. and labor-intensive. Twenty-two percent of those people also kept taking the medications and reported having less withdrawal symptoms than before treatment started. By the next spring, the addiction in San Francisco should be improved with a goal of over 250 people in treatment. Since patients can have withdrawal effects nearly every 12 hours, having that medication on hand is crucial so they don’t fall back into drug addiction. San Francisco is among a handful of large U.S. cities making plans to open supervised drug consumption sites so users are given the help they need. Monitors will be equipped with tools and medication to quickly administer the drug naloxone, which helps combat overdose symptoms in case any emergencies arrive to the scene. Such programs like the one in San Francisco are now widespread in Canada but have been having trouble gaining as quick traction in the U.S. With enough political support and success stories from the community, there’s a hope for our country to get a grip on our opioid epidemic and treat more people directly on the home front.

Future Dual Diagnosis Treatment

The future of addiction in San Francisco is looking bright as the program will be continued into this year. With the high amount of success stories from past patients, more people who are low income and are dealing with drug addiction, drug related crimes, and withdrawal symptoms can get the help they need. It’s rare to be able to receive free healthcare in this country, so even being able to fund and manage a program like this successfully is a huge feat.

Any person struggling with a drug addiction and mental illness will not be able to afford his or her substance of choice over the long run. The time and money spent to support their habit can quickly spiral out of control, so it’s essential that they have close access to treatment tents to demolish the pull they have towards the substance of their choice. If you know someone in the San Francisco area who might benefit from the program, let them know about it so they can measure how far they are form a treatment center. Time is of the essence when it comes to dealing with drug addiction so should take action as soon as possible.

The world we live in seems to be glorifying the use of drugs across several industries. Even though using drugs is highly risky, expensive, and leads to potential long term addiction, thousands of people are influenced by popular pop stars and rap legends that grace our music charts. In fact, the music industry’s approach to substance abuse is only leading more vulnerable people to become addicted. Radio played songs that discuss heavy Xanax abuse, drinking “purple”, popping pills, and smoking weed come at a price. Anyone has the right to listen to whatever music they want, but if they actually start acting on what the songs are encouraging, they could be influenced to partake in the same activities in the future. Let’s look at the role music figures play in our society’s rates of addiction and drug stigma overall.

Drug Stigma In Music 

Throughout the past 15 years, controlled and addictive substances mentioned in the lyrics of various pop, rock, and rap songs have dramatically increased in frequency. It would almost be difficult to find any rap song today in particular that doesn’t include some type of drug or alcoholic beverage mentioned. As drugs like marijuana skyrocketed in the early 1990s to social popularity and is now becoming more accepted, many don’t stop and think about the repercussions certain lyrics can have on our youth today. In addition to marijuana, a study conducted in 2013 found that drugs like “lean”, “sirrup”, “purple”, “drank” and “henny” are exponentially being mentioned more in songs since their pop culture appearance in the 1980s.

For some people, this growth may not be quite alarming, since rap tends to be correlated to individuals who live aggressive lifestyles. While the genre of rap doesn’t deserve to be stereotype many rappers have been charged guilty of drug abuse or possession such as Lil B, Lil Wayne, Lil Durk, and more recently younger newcomers like Fetty Wap and Chief Keef. All rappers are widely popular among teens and college students who regularly play their music and quote lyrics from their songs as a joke. I, for one, was a huge Fetty Wap fan during college because of the catchy beats and laid back melodies he produced. Although I was aware of his mentions of drugs, I made the mistake of not thinking about how constant exposure to that ideal could sway my own beliefs over time. What could start as a joke or a slang term can eventually lead to someone slowly accepting the use of a drug and eventually using it during their own time.

Music’s Substance Abuse 

While some of us have possibly tried drugs at some point in time, the majority of everyday people are not struggling with a potentially life threatening substance abuse problem. As for the rich and famous, drug related injuries, assault cases, and fatal overdoses are happening more times every year. Beloved names like Mac Miller, Avicii, and Lil Peep have all suffered the consequences of their substance abuse within the past year. What’s sad is that all of these people have shown the world that they have incredible talent, a joy for entertaining others, and communicating amazing stories with their music. Lil Peepin particular had a highly loyal fan base that consistently supported all of his projects. While they knew he routinely rapped about his drug use, it wasn’t long after releasing songs that mentioned hearing voices in his head to quit, finding bottles of Xanax by his bed, and taking the drug to fall back to sleep midday that he passed away.

However, the popularity and almost expectation for musicians to turn to drugs created an unhealthy outlet for them to let go of their biggest stress issues. Maybe one of them felt that drugs were the only method of receiving inspiration for creating their next big hit. Maybe they felt scared of the judgement that could come from other celebrities who heavily encourage drug use. Either way, it’s important to know that musicians create songs for many different reasons and their promotion of a certain ideal doesn’t necessarily make it cool. Please don’t try a drug that you don’t know anything about because it looked thrilling or “out of this world” in your favorite music video.

Learning About Types of Drugs

With all the outlets that are promoting drug use or misinforming the public these days, it’s crucial to know the true facts for yourself before you or anyone you know gets hurt. Drugs can cause a variety of different physical reactions, withdrawal effects, and risk for addiction. Luckily, we live in an age where we can access information on almost anything we want. The best way to learn about the similarities and differences between popular drugs like marijuana, Xanax, cocaine, or other substances is to use a drugs glossary. Instead of spending hours to look up facts about each drug individually, you might as well save your time with the glossary. It works as an efficient tool to pinpoint the drug you want to research on and find a summary about its effects on our body. A drugs glossary will include information on almost every drug known to health experts, so you are guaranteed to find what you are looking for.

Moving Forward 

Life is all about enjoying yourself, working hard to reach our goals, and making impactful connections with others. Don’t let the pull of substance abuse get in your way of that responsibility, even if you favorite musicians seem to rave about its effects. You’ll sleep more soundly at night knowing that you are not putting your life at risk for the sake of a two or three hour high. The choice is yours!

We can all agree that medical cannabis is a highly controversial topic at this point in time. Even the most advanced doctors, medical cannabis scientists, rehab scientists, and political leaders had varying opinions on how it used be used with patients. Not everyone knows if the substance is safe to use, even if someone may be recommended cannabis-assisted detox to aid issues like drug addiction. And while medical cannabis is legal in nearly 29 states, the federal government still hasn’t given the substance a complete hall pass. This is due to the fact that the Obama era administration didn’t want to legalize medical cannabis nationwide and the current Trump administration claimed that they wanted to stay out of bounds of anyone who does use the substance. On the other hand, nearly 85% of the general public supports legalizing medical cannabis with millions of people using the drug every single day.

In order to break down the stereotypes about the drug, let’s go through the positive and negative aspects of medical cannabis. It’s worthwhile to know if the drug should be taken out of teenager or criminal hands and if it really is the “wonder drug” that society cracks it up to be.

Using Medically Assisted Treatment 

Medical cannabis has proven to help patients with treating their chronic pain, issues like narcotic or opioid addiction, and even more severe symptoms of diseases like cancer. If you’re eager to know why the drug is still so argued about these days, consider the following pros and cons:

• Pro: Medical cannabis cause people to fall into a harsh addiction and take larger doses of the drug over time. Opioids are a much stronger drug that has to ability to take the lives of almost 200 people every day in the United States from overdose. While using marijuana, people report feeling at ease, less stressed, and lower levels of pain within as little as half an hour. As long as a patient takes their dosage responsibility, the drug doesn’t cause any uncomfortable withdrawal effects expect a slight increase in appetite or thirst.
• Pro: Medical cannabis has been linked to a significant drop in opioid overdose rates according the recent rehab studies. During this year, only the states of Pennsylvania and New Jersey took the correlation to lesser deaths seriously as new territories to approve the drug. Public leaders in these states noted that it is proven as a dramatically effective way to treat patient’s chronic pain and opioid addiction compared to alternative medications.
• Con: Our country still believes that rehab should include total sobriety from any type of foreign substances. If someone was struggling from opioid addiction and initiated a plan to get treatment, traditionally they are instructed to abstain from euphoric substances overall. In addition to our grounded ways, there’s not enough clear evidence that proves the benefits of medical marijuana. People may tell compelling accounts of their personal experiences and scientists may preach about its wondrous healing powers, but the government rules by a standard basis of research. Even the most positive reviews won’t overturn little scientific evidence to back them up.
• Pro: Opioid addicts can rejoice to not having to deal with their painful heroin withdrawal symptoms with the help of consistent medical cannabis. When opioids enter a person’s body, they will experience a quick rush of pleasure in the first few minutes along with temporary euphoria and calmness. Instead of using the typical pill that could induce annoying headaches, nausea, loss of appetite, or severe stress, medical cannabis has been stated to help patients treat their cravings. In fact, people using medical cannabis for their opioid addiction admit that using the drug is a less of two evils and has greatly lowered their inflammation overall. With less fatiguing symptoms to deal with, patients have a better chance of regaining a strong state of mental health over time.
• Con: Not everyone should hop on the train to start using medical cannabis if they are going through certain life events or are of a certain age. The FDA is not yet certain if being of elderly age or being sick from an unrelated illness could deteriorate their physical health while using the drug. If someone is already on a certain drug like an antibiotic or use a typical allergy medicine, they may see unwanted side effects from using medical cannabis at the same time. Additionally, if a woman is experiencing pregnancy she may not want to risk any effects on her child. It’s better to play it safe and stay sober of any substances in general if you are expecting a child within a few months.
• Pro: Medical cannabis isn’t impossible to get a hold of legally. If you happen to do live in an area that allows legal dispensaries or distributor businesses for medical cannabis, you will have to show proof of medical recommendation by your doctor. They can only recommend that you use the drug, since providing an official prescription isn’t completely legal. At the doctor’s office, you will also have to explain your health situation and your experience with alternative medicines before they can give you the green light. You won’t get your hands on cannabis in any case just from saying you’re too stressed or dislike swallowing pills. As long as medical cannabis is still highly unregulated, everyone’s chance for getting a dose will vary.

Alternative Health Done Right 

If you are tired of dealing with painful and debilitating withdrawal effects from an illness or an opioid addiction, check your options for obtaining medical cannabis. The drug is still controversial by many, but the medical benefits it provides to calming down pain, managing anxiety, helping sleep patterns, and so on is worth the time to research if it’s right for you.

Don’t hesitate to ask your doctor about any questions you have about using the drug, especially if you’re at an older age, are pregnant, or will expect to be pregnant in the near future.