Drug Addiction, Holistic Health, Mental Health, Women's Health

Drug Cravings and Opioid Withdrawal

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Opioid withdrawal and dealing with drug cravings can be extremely difficult for anyone. No matter how tough or determined a person who is addiction to painkillers is, the intense withdrawal symptoms that they experience can seriously demotivate their efforts to get sober. Opioids are designed as a class of drugs working in the brain to relieve pain or discomfort. They are often found in popular prescription medications like painkillers or even heroin. Opioids function by blocking certain receptors between the brain and the rest of the body so a patient doesn’t have to feel intense feelings of pain.

In addition to blocking certain receptors in the brain, opioids also are commonly known to make some people feel relaxed or very happy in a “high” that becomes addictive. It’s incredibly important for a person prescribed to opioids or currently taking other forms of the drug to understand the physical risks from its side effects and how to get over acute withdrawal.

With the current opioid overdose epidemic taking the United States by storm, make sure that you don’t fall victim to the clutch of its effect. Let’s break down how opioid and heroin withdrawal occurs along with what you can do to protect yourself in the long run.

Drug interventions can prevent further damage to an addict's life.
Drug cravings can be hard to deal with without support.

What Are Withdrawal Symptoms? 

Some of the most popular prescribed opioids are oxycodone, morphine, fentanyl, tramadol, and methadone. These might sound familiar if you’ve ever taken a trip to the doctor for an injury or were recovering from a surgery. These opioids allshare the main symptomsof passing euphoria, chronic drowsiness or lethargy, and easily build tolerance in one’s body to high doses.

Once a person wants to takes a break from using the drug for a few days to even a couple hours, they can easily experience other withdrawal symptoms that are unwanted. These include uneasy feelings like dry mouth, dizziness, trouble breathing, abnormal weight loss, headaches, random shaking or sweating, and even hallucinations in some people.

With those effects in mind, it becomes easier to understand why some people don’t want to fight the physical and mental struggle of becoming sober. In some circumstances with people who avidly use the drug, psychological symptoms that include drug cravings can go on for much longer than a week and go past the traditional opioid withdrawal timelinefor the drug. Someone who takes notice of its persistence should seek medically supervised detox services as soon as possible so they can work on their variety of symptoms.

Treating Opioid Withdrawal

While there is no magic fix for someone going through opioid withdrawal symptoms, there are three main components to successfully maintain a sober mind and body. If you’re currently suffering from acute opioid withdrawal and don’t know what to do first, pay attention.

With the help of a detox facility, a person can learn much more about their health and organize a battle plan for getting over symptoms that may arise in the future. The first pillar of reaching sustainable health is receiving thorough education about an opioid addiction. It is important that every patient understands that it is okay to not feeling completely healthy and recovered during the beginning of a sobriety process. Good things take time, and when it comes to safely easing your body off a powerful drug you need as much patience as possible. This is especially crucial for opioid addiction because quitting cold-turkey could be lethal. Learning about all the symptoms of protracted withdrawal can also help you create your own realistic views of the healing process overall. Once you can identify what the common symptoms in your body are, you will be more confident to know what to watch out for and manage with appropriate support.

The second pillar to successful detox from opioid withdrawal includes receiving enough encouragement throughout the entire process. If you are hooked on to having a dose nearly every day and are suddenly tapering your use, you might be experiencing difficult memory and concentration difficulties. However, with enough support from mental health professionals you can learn how to deal with feelings of demotivation when uncomfortable symptoms or a risk of relapse arise. No matter how different our bodies are, we all can benefit from consistent encouragement from professionals and our loved ones. Knowing you have a team to back you up and keep you accountable is key to stay on track.

The third pillar is ensuring the body gets enough rest to recover from withdrawal effects. Many detox professionals can help you identify whether your current sleep issues are due to acute withdrawal or are a result of other causes in your life. Throughout the process you can also gain education about the benefits of keeping great sleeping habits, setting up an environment for consistent sleep, and tapering the use of substances like caffeine that may interfere with sound rest. Believe it or not, our body works hard to repair our cells and repair muscles while we sleep every night. Make sure you get enough quality shut eye to feel your best the next day!

It’s Never Too Late

Even if starting the process of opioid detox sounds too frustrating and drawn out, think of the long term benefits your body, mind, and spirit will gain. Would you rather stay reliant on using an opioid for years or spend a few months with some discomfort to come out stronger, more confident, and more independent than before?

No matter how subtle or intense your symptoms are, it’s always a good idea to swallow your pride and see a detox specialist in your local area who can hear out your experiences. After gaining more knowledge about your drug use history and lifestyle, they can form a pinpointed plan to get your body on the right track to sobriety. Don’t be afraid to reach out!

 

 

Car Cleaning

Car Cleaning Hacks

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After spending thousands of dollars on the car of your dreams, it’s safe to say that keeping it clean and perfect is highly important so it lasts as long as possible. While some people swear by taking their prized vehicle to a local car wash service, the cost can quickly add up.

There are also more aspects to keeping the value of your car up besides maintaining the exterior look of it. No matter what model you have, always follow your car’s maintenance schedule and never ignore an issue so your car is always up to speed with its best performance.

Preventive maintenance is the best thing an owner can do since you’ll save money on costly repairs in the long run. Even if you don’t want to spend extra now, preparing it for harsh weather and road conditions is the best thing to do. Let’s walk through the best car maintenance tips to keep the professional detailing of your ride safe and sound.

Knowing car cleaning hacks is critical!
Knowing car cleaning hacks is critical!

Car Maintenance Tips

Here are my top tips for taking care of your car, no matter what model! Some of these fixes can be easily done by yourself if you watch a YouTube video online or look up do it yourself articles.

  1. Check out your air filter. Many long term car problems can be prevented if your faulty air filters are fixed in advance. You should be getting your filters changed at least every year or after about 12000 miles driven on the road. Whichever comes first! If you choose to ignore your filter, your air conditioner, heating, and overall air quality won’t be up to par. What’s good to know is that filters are extremely easy to fix too since it takes a professional mechanic as little as ten minutes from start to finish. However, you can also do it yourself and save some money by following a comprehensive guide for free online!
  2. Keep up with the pressure. Make sure your tire pressure and fluids are working well, even if you don’t think the car has a huge problem. This is so important as tires are the main components of your car and are constantly being worn down every time you take it out to drive.  It takes as little as ten minutes to check your tires as you only need to cool your car down, open up the engine, and detach the oil dipstick. Clean it as best as you can and fasten it back. If you notice a lot of oil stuck to it, you’ll know it’s time to change the engine oil as well.  For your tires, you can check the pressure by using an appropriate gauge on all wheels. If you can, try to do this at least one to two times a month so your tires are in top shape!
  3. Make sure you have battery. This can be overlooked but your life will depend on it! We all faced the dire situation where we are left stranded in a parking lot or worse, a crowded highway with no battery left in our car. To prevent this from happening again, never ignore your low battery sign and always get it checked at the mechanic.  They can look for any signs of leakage or crusty mineral build up in it which will affect its performance. It’s much better to be safe than sorry.
  4. Make sure your tires are rotated! This is the easiest thing to do in terms of taking care of your car well. Making sure they are placed correctly will not only make them last longer but keep your ride as smooth as possible. You only need to rotate your tires every once in a while and most shops will provide this service for free if you visited them before. This allows the wear and tire on each tire to be more equal and will give you peace of mind.
  5. Make sure your windshield is clean. This seems like a no brainer, but you’d be surprised how many people choose to ignore this step and live with dirty windows throughout each drive. The dirty windshield can prove to be a lot of hassle if they are not cleaned enough each month and can cause terrible accidents if the timing is right. It is very important for you as a driver to get the clearest view of the road while you’re going out and about. Over time, windshields that aren’t cleaned can decrease in quality if enough dirt and grime starts accumulating. There’s a very easy way to clean the windshields and exteriorof your car without having to go to the car wash. If the weather in the area you drive in the most is rainy or foggy, check your wipers and get them replaced if you need to as well. Never use wipers that aren’t in top condition since it can scratch the glass and harm your view overall.
  6. Take care of your brakes. This is probably the only prevention device you have when you’re driving if someone or something comes in your way. There is a very easy way to check your brake fluidyourself and doing so will help you ensure that your car’s system is working properly. If the color of your brakes looks a little darker than usual, you might want to take it to the shop so it’s replaced.  Displaying a dark black color indicates that the fluid in your brakes is filled with rubber and need attention as soon as possible. Aim to replace your brakes every two years so you know you’re safe at all times.

Car Maintenance Is A Habit

I hope these tips gave you more insight into how to take care of your car. You want your vehicle to run a long lasting and quality life while you have it, so make sure everything works properly! You’ll save lots of headache and costly repairs in the future by being more mindful about its features.

 

 

Drug Addiction, Holistic Health, Mental Health, Women's Health

Dealing With An Opioid Addiction

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No one is immune to the effects of an opioid addiction. What might feel like a few extra hits for fun here and there can easily turn into a full-fledged dependence on getting high several times a week. As a college student, I’ve seen people make the wrong decisions and hang out with people who can easily persuade them into taking opioids for fun. This makes sense, we all want to be seen as a little cooler right? Yet, the person who takes the leap to consume opioids for the first time, even if it was actually prescribed to them by a doctor, will never realize how quickly their body will start strongly craving it.

Usually, it’s too late before they’re too affected by symptoms and greatly need opioid withdrawal treatment. Let’s look at what treatment options are available if you happen to know someone who’s struggling and want to help spread the word.

Opioid Withdrawal Treatment Methods

Knowing what options are available for opioid withdrawal treatment is vital for success. Without the assistance of a medically-supervised detox program a person can have numerous risks during withdrawal symptoms. These are intense physical and mental health experiences that can often relapse and prevent successful sobriety. This is because opiate drugs easily form an intense physical dependence which can be extremely painful if not consumption isn’t tapered off correctly. As a result, it’ll take far more than simply strong willpower to break free of opioid drug abuse. While it might be a long-term process, using the right mix of medications and counseling can drastically improve a patient’s chances of success.

Opioid withdrawal treatmentsneed to be conducted with the help from professionally trained medical staff members because going “cold turkey” during a detox can be lethal. Tapering gradually is extremely necessary. .

One of the most major medicines used for opioid withdrawal treatment isDolophine, an opioid that works for a long duration and targets the same areas of your body that opioids do. Patients can usually take it every day after going to a specialized addiction clinic that provides it. With the right dose, it works to combat cravings and the intense withdrawal symptoms people have a hard time dealing with.

Buprenorphineis another medication that lasts for a shorter time but also concentrates on the same receptors in your brain that opiates affect. While it has a much lower risk of lethal overdose, it doesn’t work as strongly. It comes in shot, pill, skin patch, and even a film form that attaches to the inside of your mouth to work. This is the most preferred method for treatment if you have a body that is especially sensitive to new drugs and chemicals.

The third most popular medication for opioid withdrawal treatment is Lucera, which helps to ease symptoms when a patient needs to have rapid detoxification from the drug. Doctors have approved it to be used for up to fourteen days, which typically follows the length of time that most patients need to quickly clear their system.

All things considered, there’s also a handful of new treatment medications for opioid addictionnow available to try and are clinically proven to help ease off withdrawal symptoms.

It Takes A Team

Regardless of the mediation that a patient chooses to use, their overall chances of beating opioid addiction and dependence are far higher with long-term talk therapy or support groups that strengthen their motivation. There are also many online addiction recovery resourcesthat can provide suggestions or advice. In the past few years, there has been a huge rise in the adoption of peer support services to assist recovery from drug use disorders. Having people who are going through the same type of issues makes a big difference to help a patient feel supported, accountable, and determined to reach full recovery. Being successfully sober from an intense drug is a long journey, but having people to walk with them along the way makes the bad days somewhat easier to deal with.

Additionally, it can immensely help a patient to seek a counselor who specializes in drug abuse to talk a few times a month to once a week. Having another safe space to talk about withdrawal symptoms, social struggles, and physical pain is incredibly useful for a patient. The people I know who took the leap to talk to a professional when they had drug issues have been finding it much easier to stay sober and do what’s right for their body. Look up what resources are open online and in your community if you or someone you know is trying to find help with their opioid addiction.

Don’t Give Up

Being held down by the withdrawal symptoms of an opioid addiction is extremely hard. Sometimes you’ll want to through in the bag and just go back to using the drug so you don’t have to deal with the mental and physical pain that it brings. Making the first choice to taper off your opioid consumption is already a great step in the right direction Remember that no one can go through addiction rehab alone either, so take your time to look at your schedule and find a time in the next week to see a professional who can help guide you to the right medication, therapy, and support groups. Nothing is impossible to overcome if you try your absolute best and stay consistent with your treatment!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Holistic Health, Mental Health, Women's Health

Chronic Inflammation And Your Lifestyle

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No one enjoys having chronic inflammation throughout the day, especially when it causes great discomfort. While inflammation is a completely natural process in the body which will help with injury, there’s no need to suffer when you can’t handle the discomfort of your symptoms.

Chronic inflammation, the bad kind of inflammation, happens when the natural process doesn’t get turned off by your body when it normally should. As a result, if it continues for years, your body can go down a bad road of disease. Inflammation is linked to causing cancer, as ample research show the inflammation is present well before tumors begin to develop and transform. With that in mind, we don’t want any inflammation lurking around in our body. Let’s look at the top ten ways to get rid of it so you can rest assured you’re as strong, healthy, and energetic as possible!

Ways To Overcome Chronic Inflammation

  1. Avoid overly processed foods. This means cutting out as much sugar, white flour, and high fructose corn syrup as possible in order to reap anti-inflammatory benefits. When we eat foods that are laced with harmful ingredients throughout their manufacturing process, our body can easily respond with inflammation and work against our internal system. Once you start making an effort to remove these foods from your everyday diet, you’ll not only feel more energetic but your skin will likely break out less too. However, don’t totally deprive yourself if you’re craving a bowl of ice cream or a few cookies. Treat them as a reward for your hard work and commitment to healthy eating throughout the week. As long as you aren’t going overboard, you still are making steps in the right direction!
  2. Lower your levels of nutritional stress. You can easily create high levels and chronic inflammation from nutritional stress if you eat foods that are not properly prepared. For example, if you don’t soak nuts before eating them or boil cruciferous vegetables thoroughly, anti-nutrients can make your digestion do a lot of extra work. I highly suggest that you look into planning a sauté, bake, or steaming session for your vegetables so that they do not cause any distress.
  3. Take out foods you’re allergic to. Eating foods that you have a history of issues with can cause inflammation, even if they’re considered “healthy”. Start paying very close attention to what you eat and how your body reacts to it. If you find yourself feeling dizzy or irritable after eating something in particular, take some notes and remember to not include it in your next dish.
  4. Drink enough water. This sounds so cliche but our bodies are constantly craving water to run the best it can. We are made up of 60% water, and most people still aren’t drinking enough water or drinking the best quality of water! Stop taking in sugar loaded lattes or fruit juice that won’t do anything beneficial for your body. Without enough water, your detox systems won’t be able to clear out the built up toxins circulating in your body as well.
  5. Are you constantly including lots of animal protein in your diet? Make sure you watch what sources you consume as eating too much protein can cause an inflammatory response in your body. If you are into fitness and are used to drinking whey protein shakes every day, think about exploring vegan options that are a little easier on the stomach.
  6. Get in enough fatty acids. Omega-3 and Omega-6 are noted as essential acids that our body desperately needs. However, Omega-6 fatty acids are the kind that can heavily increase chronic inflammation in our bodies, while Omega-3 fatty acids do the opposite to lower it. Unfortunately, we don’t realize that Omega-6 is found in seeds and nuts and the oils made from them. This is why we have to do our bust to cut out the packaged and heavily processed foods that incorporate those oils. The best kinds of fish to get enough Omega-3 fatty acids are salmon, cod, and tuna. Eat them straight from the grill or bake them with fresh veggies for a healthy and inflammation fighting meal!
  7. Get enough sleep. This is a no brainer that will you help you in almost every aspect of your life. If you aren’t getting enough rest each night, your mind and body will deteriorate because it can’t do its job. Just remember the last time you went to work or sat in class totally sleep deprived. How did you feel? Most likely you felt like your body was working against you. If you continually have nights where you aren’t prioritizing sleep enough, you’ll find yourself feeling weak and getting sick more often. Those signs are definitely not ones you want to experience if you already are struggling with chronic inflammation! Turn off notifications when it gets closer to your bedtime and create a night time routine so your mind is prepared to relax. This will do wonders for your mental health and you’ll find that falling asleep will be much easier!

Conquering Chronic Inflammation

Chronic inflammation can feel like a mountain to overcome if you’ve been taking medication, are trying every piece of advice online, and are praying for the best. Luckily, you don’t need to fret because you can easily talk to an expert who can give you advice based on your personal health history. Lots of the information posted on health sites is for general audiences, so what worked for the author might not be the same method that will best fit your needs. If you feel that you need more help with dealing with your inflammation, seek the opinion of a professional functional medicine doctor as soon as possible! You’ll learn more about yourself and how to cope along the way!

Eat the right foods to combat chronic inflammation.
Eat the right foods to combat chronic inflammation.

 

 

Search Engine Optimization, Social Media Marketing, Uncategorized, Website Design

Using Internet Marketing

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Marketing is an ever changing field of business that professionals are still spending a lifetime to truly grasp. Ever since the need to sell a product or service existed, so has the idea of using effective marketing.

From the traditional yellow book ads to the fifteen second long Snapchat ads that dash over our mobile screens today, it’s safe to say that marketing has evolved faster in the past ten years than ever before.

At one time in history, using cutting edge technology was limited to just a small fraction of the population. Now, with technology advancing quickly and customers becoming more picky with what media they allow to be interrupted by, it’s incredibly important for marketers to use tactics that will provide the most bang for their buck.

Let’s look at which methods are making waves through the cluttered media scene and what are leaving old fashioned brands behind in the dust.

Internet marketing is essential for today's business market.
Internet marketing is essential for today’s business market.

Marketing Back In The Day

Let’s go back a decade in time and revisit the marketing environment that grabbed the attention of customers. The year is 2008, the stock market just crashed, the Lehman Brothers just caused a worldwide recession, and iPhones are still a considered a prized possession for the richest to enjoy.

What type of marketing do you think was convincing enough for businesses to pull customers out of the trenches? The answer was outbound marketing, a method thatis very interruptive and pushes out a brand’s message to a mass audience. This was never dependent on whether or not the audience wanted to actually hear it. The types of vehicles that are included in outbound marketing are the cliche television and radio ads you’ve heard as a kid, traditional telemarketing, pop up banner and display ads, roadside billboards, cut out newspaper ads, or door to door cold calling.

Back in the 2000’s, these methods worked like a charm since our phones were not as advanced as they are today. People were still walking outside and actually looking at what ads or posters were mounted up in their surroundings. We had cable lines attached to walls that rang with questions from salesmen, we still treasured the Sunday newspaper, and our living room television was our best friend.

I remember waking up early on Saturday as a kid was the best time to catch great TV cartoons and funny commercials. Today, premium Hulu is available for even a five year old to skip ads and watch shows on via iPad.

 Introducing the Internet

Although the Internet has been around for much longer than ten years, the advances that it has allowed for technology has been unprecedented. With the rise of Facebook videos, Instagram ads, Snapchat news, the online blogging scene, and online or on demand television via Netflix, there is less and less space for physical ads to catch the eye of shopping consumers.

Just think about it. When was the last time you were in a grocery store and looked at your paper catalog for the best box of cookies to buy? Most likely you pulled out your phone, entered “what is the best tasting cookie brand” on Google through the Safari app, and read customer reviews instead.

To keep up, most brands are using internet marketing, or “inbound marketing” to behave as a hub to attract these technology adapted consumers.Instead of spreading a generic message to thousands of people, it’s been found more effective to pull in potential customers with interesting content that provides them valuable information.

As a result, using inbound marketing involves writing exciting blog posts, posting engaging videos and pictures on social media, sending out encouraging email newsletters, and other content to people who are already interested in your product.

Another popular method that falls under inbound marketing is using search engine optimization to boost the visits to a website through seamless software design, keyword placement, and professional content.

In a nutshell, if you are providing information that is engaging enough and calls for action, customers are more likely to interact with it, share it with their network online, and build a positive impression of your brand that influences purchasing decisions in the long run. Placing the relationship with customers at the forefront is the key to keeping your business at the top of their list.

Value your customers through inbound marketing.

Successful Inbound Campaigns

It’s definitely confusing to think about how inbound marketing works without a solid example to go off from. In the past few years, social media marketing has boosted the idea of inbound marketing to new levels as it has the power to make or break up and coming brands.

As a fitness nerd, I’ve been closely following the growth of the activewear brand Gymshark over the past few years. Compared to powerhouse brands like Nike or Adidas, their brand has a full grasp of using calls to action for its customers and building a genuine relationship with its followers through social media influencers.

Instead of airing commercials to millions of people who may or may not be interested in fitness, Gymshark has used the power of popular content creators and organically promoted coupon codes to promote its clothes. As a result, any customer can visit its fitness blogs, official website, or Instagram accounts and see how it’s spearheading a positive moment involving millions of people to get active in the gym.

Another great example of inbound marketing is by looking at the efforts of one of my entrepreneurs, Gary Vaynerchuk. As a social media guruand overall marketing genius, he constantly is pushing out free content to his followers with free ebooks, marketing based podcasts, and Youtube videos for people interested in the idea of marketing itself to consume.

From there, he asks for email addresses and Youtube subscriptions in return which eventually lead to people buying his books and other online products. With the leverage of acting as a genuine resource to his network, people are constantly sharing his content and allowed him to catapult to extreme fame in the past few years.

Be Your Own Consultant

You don’t have to have a PhD in marketing or have millions of dollars to design an effective marketing campaign for your business. The point is that you can use inbound marketing and outbound marketing wisely to push your brand’s messages with different media platforms. The smart thing to do is to take time to double down on what your customer niche is and where they are consuming content every day.

After doing that research, choose what aspects of outbound marketing you can invest a bit in. Then, look at what inbound strategies will give you the most cost effective results and reach your desired customers directly. The power isleveraging traditional marketingtechniques with the internet and social media to achieve amazing growth!

 

 

Drug Addiction, Holistic Health, Mental Health

Symptoms of Depression

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Our nation as a whole is experiencing a widespread epidemic of depression. The rates are growing quicker than ever, especially with teenagers who are combated with more stress than teens of the past couple decades. With the pressure of excelling in school, maintaining a proper social life, performing in extracurriculars, pleasing parents, and looking perfect on Instagram, there’s a lot to go through as an adolescent. Symptoms of depression can take a while to develop as they go through these motions in life, but not addressing them early can lead to seriously negative consequences.

When a teenager is feeling depressed, his or her mental suffering isn’t the only reason it’s important to get professional help. In addition to the depression disorder itself, there are several other effects that may cause lifelong issues if it’s left in the dust to deal with. From extremely low energy, poor concentration in class, to a drop in social and academic motivation, the consequences are brutal for a young person to work through alone. If you remember how you thought in middle or high school, you’ll find that your confidence and self-image was still pretty weak because fitting in was the most important at the time. If you mix in long term symptoms of depression, that already wobbly sense of integrity can shatter and impact a potentially successful future. If you happen to know a teenager in your life who has depression, make sure you are educated enough on the types of depression there are and the causes of depressionto ensure you can point them to the best treatment possible.

Symptoms of depression can be cured.
You can get through symptoms of depression.

Causes of Depression

Depression in teenagers can be traced from several different causes. The variety of negative effectsof teenage depression go far beyond just having a mood that is more sad than usual. Depression can basically destroy the basics of your teen’s personality, lead to an overwhelming feeling of sadness, frustration, and fatigue. Many rebellious and unhealthy behaviors in teenagers are key signs of depression as well since they are trying to cope with changes happening in their body. In turn, they tend to act out their problems by replying to questions with anger, hiding their whereabouts during the day, turning to secret behaviors of drugs or alcohol, and hanging out with friends who cause trouble.

To deal with these behaviors, make sure to act as compassionate and curious as much as possible. You don’t want to come across as aggravating or too judgmental. Ask your teenager more open ended questions about their mood in a gentle manner, without acting too emotional. Even friends or parents who have the best intentions will have trouble realizing that they’re being too critical. The biggest mistake to make here is to try to solve their problems are pry into the people who make up their social life. Teenagers want to have a listening ear but still want their privacy as well to feel confident in their own skin. This way, you’re letting them know that you are hearing them out and aren’t trying to fix their personal concerns. No one likes to feel like the submissive party so be sure to treat them as an equal despite their odd behavior. By the time they feel ready enough to open up and talk, then you’ll have a better idea of what types of treatments you can recommend.

Types of Depression

Understanding the type of depressiona teenager is experiencinghelps doctors and their family determine what treatment is best. And for those who diagnosed with depression, knowing more about their specific disorder can be extremely helpful. More than 16 million Americans in a given year experience the most common type of depression: it is  known as major depression or clinical depression.

In order to be diagnosed with this disorder, a person must have at least five symptoms occurring for at least two weeks or longer to be diagnosed. Those symptoms can include feeling extremely sad during the day, feelings of  emptiness, worthlessness, low energy, little appetite, and zero interest in activities that were once enjoyable. If a person isn’t responding well to anti-depression treatment, they are then diagnosed with “treatment resistant depression” from their doctors. This can be due to medication not being strong enough or having a genetic trait from their parents that are more prone to developing the disorder in general. Helping people overcome treatment-resistant depression calls for an extremely thorough check up to ensure a proper diagnosis for their physical and mental symptoms.

On the other hand, a teenager who has a few of the classic symptoms of depression but not  quite check all of them calls for a diagnosis of “subsyndromal depression.” This means that the person may have only three or four symptoms that have been occurring for a period of time shorter than the usual two weeks. If the person can still carry on with their everyday responsibilities, experts won’t classify the disorder as one that is severe as simple lifestyle changes can be made to improve their health. However, if the person is indeed struggling, they can still benefit from a customized treatment plan that involves the use of medication.

Make A Move

Teenagers are known to be the most stubborn humans on Earth, but don’t let their aggressive behavior stop you from pointing them in the right direction for treatment. If he or she is displaying some key signs of depression, make sure to sit down with them to talk about their situation so you can explore what options are available!

 

Holistic Health, Mental Health, Uncategorized, Women's Health

Anxiety Quiz

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Our mental health is so important as it casts a huge influence on how our days, months, and years play out overall. Just like maintaining physical health, keeping your mental health in good shape protects your energy levels, overall mood, and downplays different types of anxiety that many busy people experience in life. Some people may just turn a blind eye to not protecting their mental health, as it could be seen as a waste of time. Why keep up and care for a part of our bodies we can’t even see? I’m strong, why do I even need to seek therapy or online support to feel better? Those are questions that are often relayed through the minds of people who know they need help with their mental health or various anxiety symptoms, but don’t want to experience the stigma of shame and embarrassment that is attached it.

If you know you need help to deal with your anxiety symptoms or just want to know more about helping your mental health, there’s no need to feel lower than the average human being. The year is 2018 and everyone at this point has the right to seek out ways to better their health and lifestyle overall. Being stubborn, ignorant, and unhealthy is definitely not in fashion and you don’t want to end up in a hospital bed several years into the future. Here’s some quick and easy ways to better manage your anxiety symptoms and safeguard your mental health in general.

  • To protect your mental health, you need to first accept that not everything in life is under your control. Things like performance and success are somewhat held accountable by your actions, but a negative event or accident that causes you stress is most often never your fault. You need to put your stress and anxiety symptoms in perspective. Write down how you feel on a piece of paper and you’ll soon realize that there are worse things that could have happened.
  • Do your best and stop shooting for being perfect. We are humans and no one can have the perfect mental health, grades, love life, social events, and physique all the time. Focus on your own personal growth and stop comparing yourself to others who look like they have it all together. More often than not, you have no idea what struggles and pain other people are not showing behind their happy Instagram posts and snapchat stories.
  • Maintain a positive attitude when you can. You don’t have to be happy all the time, because then you would be better off as a robot. The point is to make an effort to keep track of your thoughts and minimize the negative ones before your mind spirals into a darker place. Practicing a more encouraging dialogue is often one of the most powerful ways to transform your mental health. You never know how much of a difference being kind to yourself can make instead of criticizing every move you make throughout the day.
  • Avoid drinking too much. Water is totally acceptable, as we need plenty of it to survive and stay hydrated. Limit how much alcoholic drinks and caffeine you take during the day, even if you need it to shave off the stress you’re experiencing. Those chemicals are stimulants that can aggravate your already existing anxiety and can even trigger brutal panic attacks. No one wants to have a sudden onset of emotions for having one too many lattes in the morning, so it’s best to stick to water, tea, or more gentle drinks in general. If water is too boring for you, there’s a variety of flavor drops you can purchase to make it taste just like your favorite juice! Additionally, you can add pieces of fruit into your water as well to get an extra boost of vitamin C which helps strengthen your immune system.
  • Eat and sleep well. This is a no brainer to think about but executing it every day with discipline is where many people fall short. We’re not invincible and we all need to fuel our bodies with the nutrition and rest it needs to function well. If you have been feeling especially struck with symptoms of anxiety during a week, think about how your diet has been like and if you getting at least seven to eight hours of sleep. Don’t skip any meals and always eat foods that are as natural as possible to help maintain your energy. The saying, “we are what we eat” rings true in the case of maintaining mental health so make sure to be as mindful as you can!
  • Take a time out. Many successful entrepreneurs, musicians, and athletes can attest to the benefits that meditation brings to their lives every day. You can practice yoga in the morning, listen to a calming music playlist, learning deep breathing techniques, or use your gym time as your window of reflection. You’ll get to know your thoughts better and you’ll feel comfortable spending time with yourself to grow. Even if it’s just a short mental break for a couple minutes, you will feel less anxious and stressed after the period is over.

Learn More

Hopefully these tips can get you started on the road to protecting your mental health in the midst of life’s most difficult struggles. If you’re not sure how serious your symptoms of anxiety maybe, you can also take an anxiety quiz online to learn more about what is going on in your body. It’s quick, easy, and can guide you into what steps to take to better prevent your stress levels from running high in the future!

Anxiety symptoms are treatable.
Have a peace of mind and get over anxiety symptoms.
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Intervention Letter

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Writing a letter to a drug addict to express how you feel can be extremely difficult. For starters, you may feel awkward about bringing up the topic of their drug addiction since they become easily defensive. You may feel scared about making them angry and wanting to seek revenge for calling them out on their bad behavior. You may feel nervous about expressing a side of you that you haven’t before as you truly care about their wellbeing and long term health. Last but not least, you may feel very anxious about recommending a resource of drug addiction support for them to seek out. Whatever emotions you are going through, remember that you are not alone in this process.

Treat the addict in your life as anyone else. Just because they are being strongly affected by a drug in the present does not mean they get any sort of special treatment. You are not going to be an enabler and you are not going to allow them to feel like they’re off the hook. Even if they don’t agree with your opinion, it is not the end of the world! Your intervention letter is an expression of your concerns and might be the bus that hits their reality harder than the one that got Regina George in Mean Girls. This is a good thing, as you want a drug addict to wake up from their close off world of addiction and realize that they truly need drug addiction support.

Why A Letter?

Intervention letters play a huge role in the intervention process itself as each person involved can exactly express their thoughts. As a group of concerned people plan an intervention for an addict, they need to each write a personal letter that reflects their current feelings and points to a method of treatment. During the intervention, each group member can then read the letter out loud so the words ring in the addict’s ears. These letters also serve as a road map for the intervention as it keeps a person in check with their dialogue and personal emotions. Addiction affects several facets of a person’s life, so there likely will be laughs, anger, and even tears. It also prevents any person involved to become overly expressive and put their logical points at compromise. Make sure that you are reading your letter in a relaxed and positive manner to the addict for the best results possible.

By writing an intervention letter, you can also benefit from group feedback on what you plan to say. Usually, an intervention group will rehearse their words so they sound as smooth as possible when the right time comes to talk to the drug user about their signs of addiction. They can slightly alter their words to sound more clear, more genuine, or more caring overall so the addict isn’t too overwhelmed.

Starting Your Letter

It doesn’t have to be hard to begin writing your intervention letter! Follow these tips so you make a strong argument while still remaining true to yourself and genuine to the addict you’re talking to:

  • Be heartfelt. Let your addict know that you care about them deep down and have a sense of gratitude for having them in your life. Feel free to share a positive experience that you had with them that left a great mark on your memory. This reinforces the fact that you are coming from a place of warmth and not cold criticism.
  • Include a series of statements that reflect why you know their substance abuse and signs of addiction are a disease. You need them to grasp the fact that they are not defined by their addiction and can still behave as a good person. Explaining the role a drug dependency plays in a person’s body may pinpoint changes in their own behavior as well.
  • Tell them why you are hurt and want them to truly change. Aside from the fact that they are slowly destroying their bodies, you may want to bring up the toll their signs of addiction has made on your personal emotions, stress, and anxiety overall. You are constantly worrying about their safety and need to know that they can manage to get through the day without inhaling a dose of drugs.
  • Offer your recommended drug addiction support. This could be in the form of a detox specialist, a closed off rehab center in the country, or a rehab group in town that can build accountability for the addict. They may not want to take up advice at first, but if you plan an appointment or group meeting beforehand you can save a lot of time and trouble. The addict won’t have as much room to complain or find a way out of your help if you’ve already put in the money and effort to see them improve.

Know Your Limits

These tips are meant to guide you through forming a strong and heartfelt intervention letter. If you write it well and gain feedback from other people who really care about the addict, you’re more likely to hit a nerve in their system to stop abusing drugs and treat their signs of addiction. Make sure you time your intervention rightto perform your best. On the other hand, you are also not meant to be perfect and having a failed intervention is okay. We all aren’t trained for years to make sure the person we love treats their drug addiction. If needed, turn to the help of an intervention expert to form a stronger means of dialogue and treatment so the addict is pushed to make the right decision. You never know what the possibilities are until you try something new in life, so don’t be afraid to reach out to one for extra help!

Drug Addiction, Holistic Health, Mental Health, Women's Health

The Defeat of Alcoholism

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If you have ever met someone who was a great actor, you’ll know that they can easily cover up their emotions, whereabouts, and other information for their benefit. If they’re an extremely good actor, they could probably take their chance and make it big in Hollywood like the rest of blockbuster stars. The same goes for people who are addicted to a substance and learn to thoroughly cover up their tracks. After learning by trial and error, an addict could easily mask their daily signs of alcoholism regardless of where they are. They also probably fell into a bad habit of lying to themselves throughout the process. If you know someone that you suspect to be practicing substance abuse and/or needs alcohol treatment, learn to observe the key giveaways that an addict may overlook.

Remember to never approach an addict and recommend alcohol treatment by yourself. There’s strength in numbers and hosting an effective intervention takes a professional, close family, and friends who genuinely care about his or her well-being. However, in the meantime, it doesn’t hurt to learn about the variety of signs that an addict expresses and the different forms of treatment they could pursue. Battling alcohol addiction is never easy so keep in mind that any treatment process will take a few weeks to a few months to fully complete. Even if they seem expensive to participate in or like a waste of time, knowing that you and the addict are properly educated about preventing substance abuse in the future is significantly helpful for success.

Signs of Alcoholism

Are you an alcoholic? Make sure to watch out for some warning signs that a person in your life is showing signs of alcoholism. Be aware that some red flags are shown from the start of the addiction while others may not become present until time passes as their body changes. Here are some of the most common ones to keep in mind:

  • Lying about drinking. Denial is extremely common with people who are experiencing problems with alcohol or other addictive problems. In order to avoid social rejection or protect their reputation with others who aren’t as into alcohol, they can easily lie about how much they consume so it seems like a more normal habit. Everyone has a drink from time to time, what’s the problem with it?
  • Drinks are used to feel better. Normal people seek comfort in people or experiences that bring positive effects on their body, while addicts are drawn to the smell and taste of alcohol to feel complete again. If the addict needs a drink to feel like they can wind down better, it’s often a huge sign that alcohol is being depended on as an emotional crutch.
  • Not being able to stop drinking. Some addicts have a hard to time controlling how much they consumer when they choose to drink. If they finish a bottle of wine or half a vodka handle once it’s opened, you better know that it’s not by accident. A person’s tolerance towards a substance like alcohol can build up over time and cause them to drink more than usual to get the same drunk effects.
  • They can’t keep up. If the addict is starting to run into problems at work, their classes, or with their tasks at home because of their habit of drinking, they definitely have an addiction. Alcohol should only be used something to treat yourself with or indulge every once in a while. When consuming the substance starts to impact the responsibilities one needs to finish every day, a huge line has been crossed.
  • Feeling symptoms of withdrawal. An addict who needs alcohol treatment will begin to feel extremely tired from the come down of drinking, depressed from their situation, or anxious about what will happen from their behavior. They could also have changes in their appetite, sleeping habits, and energy levels overall as they rely on alcohol to just get through the day. These signs won’t be immediate as it could take months for their body to get used to drinking so much so often. However, take a few days watch them closely can reveal how much their behavior has really changed compared to months before.
  • Not being able to quit. If the addict has realized that their signs of alcoholism is severe and has made several failed attempts to change, they need to get proper alcohol treatment. This sign demonstrates that their problem is much more serious than just an occasional night of binge drinking. They’ll need to be pointed to professional help so they can understand how to better control their withdrawals, mood swings, and environment to truly stay sober.

Getting Alcohol Treatment

If you’ve realized that an addict has tell-tale signs of needing alcohol treatment, it’s time to research what options would best benefit them. They could choose from detox or residential treatment programs for a monitored treatment experience or join an alcohol anonymous group to gain community support. These groups are great for cultivating meaningful relationships with other people who are experiencing alcohol addiction. They can share their tips and struggles while holding the addict accountable for abstaining from alcohol. Today, there’s many forums that serve as an online alternative to alcohol anonymous groups as well if the addict doesn’t want to go the meetings in person.

 

 

Drug Addiction, Holistic Health, Mental Health, Uncategorized, Women's Health

Intervention Assistance

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No one wants to be an addict who has to go through an drug intervention. No matter what a person might say, the process itself is incredibly tough to experience. Even if the person deep down wants to become sober and seek drug addiction support, they need to feel encouraged enough by the people they care about to take real action. The point of having an intervention is to provoke an addict to change their negative behavior for good. Families and friends should come together and coordinate their course of actions for the best results possible in order for that to happen. Sometimes, providing the cold hard truth and exposing the person to the variety of consequences that sparked from their addiction is the way to go.

But how do truly great interventions  happen? Let’s walk through the important steps for designing a conversation that will hopefully change your addict’s life in the long term. It’s definitely an awkward and uncomfortable encounter for both parties to sit through. Tears may flow and hearts may be pumping, but the more realistic the intervention is for the addict, the more inclined they’ll be to jumpstart their journey back to health.

Planning a drug intervention takes several steps.

  1. Who even needs an intervention? The fact is that any person who is addicted to illicit drugs and alcohol or consistently abuses prescription drugs needs one, especially if they often reject the idea of seeking addiction treatment. It’s highly crucial for family and friends to host a drug intervention as soon as possible, as abuse of strong substances dramatically lowers a person’s mental awareness. Over time, the damage can snowball into extremely damaged financials, weakened relationships, health problems, conflicts with the law, and harm possibly done to the community. The point of a drug intervention is to foster the addict’s sense of control again and reinforce their desire to get help. Sometimes, what an addict needs is to be reminded that they’re still a good person and the addiction doesn’t define them. They have the power to change the course of their life and the belief that they are stuck in their situation is completely false.
  2. Do you need a team? The answer is yes, as you’ll want as much support as possible to host an effective drug intervention. Form a strong group of organizers made up of family, friends, and a professional interventionist if you can. Professionals offer the benefit of being highly experienced in helping addicts and can point them to a strong treatment plan. Only people who have a close relationship with the addict should be included as they genuinely care about his or her well-being compared to an acquaintance. If a person who’s interested to be part of the team happens to struggle with an addiction themselves, make sure they seek their own help before trying to help the addict first.
  3. What about planning? Once you form a group who is willing to coordinate with each other to help the addict, you’ll need to lay out a detailed plan of how the drug intervention process will play out. This includes what day and place the intervention will happen, as well as what each person will say to the addict. Once you have those details set, everyone should write their own form of an impact statement that describes how they feel the substance abuse harmed the addict that they care about. These words should be compassionate, honest, and caring as we want the addict to realize that people in their life truly want them to get better. Avoid any phrases that are either highly critical or personally attack the addict which will destroy the process altogether.
  4. How do you choose a treatment plan? After you have written your statements, formed your group, and are ready for combat, make sure you focus on recommending a single treatment plan to the addict as the drug intervention takes course. Being too vague or offering many alternatives will confuse the addict, which is the last thing we want to happen. Find a treatment center that has great reviews from their former clients and book an appointment for them early on so the addict doesn’t have to figure out those tedious details themselves. Even if they’re reluctant to go at first, pushing them to take the first step and seek an expert’s insight will truly make a difference.
  5. Practice! Treat the drug intervention like any other important even in your life. Rehearse what you’re going to say and avoid coming off as condescending to the addict. Make sure that everyone in the group is on the same page prior to the conversation taking place as well. This way, each member will feel confident about their delivery and can become better prepared for any emotions that may run high during the process.

You Can Do It

Hosting an intervention for drug addiction support can be intimidating at first, but if you play your cards right you can change the addict’s life for the better. They may respond with anger or embarrassment, but deep down they will know that you are coming from a place of love if you are careful to watch how you speak. Spend enough time to find an interventionist to help you if your resources allow it, find a core group to form statements with, and practice your action plan to be as persuasive as possible!

Drug interventions can prevent further damage to an addict's life.