Addiction is a vicious cycle of use and tolerance building. The more an addict uses the more their body gets used to the drug and then the addict has to use more just to feel similar effects but for most addicts they are always searching for the feeling of their first high which is unachievable. The constant use and tolerance building leads to a need of more of the substance and eventually they may get to a point where they take too much and their body cannot handle it and they have a drug overdose. Some lucky people are able to survive if they get the help they need in time but others are not so lucky and then their family and friends are left grieving the loss of a loved one to this horrible disease. There are a few ways to avoid drug overdose and avoid this horrible outcome but it does take work but most importantly it takes a choice. The choice to get treatment and then the choice to maintain your sobriety but this work doesn’t have to and shouldn’t be done alone.
Preventing Drug Overdose: Choosing Treatment
Choosing treatment is the first step in a healthy recovery and preventing drug overdose. Choosing treatment is the best way to avoid overdose. By making the choice to put your health and life before your addiction, you are already making the choice to avoid overdose and save yourself. There are many different programs available for addicts, including but not limited to, inpatient and outpatient programs. Many people need more round-the-clock treatment that allows them to concentrate on getting sober without the worries of everyday life. Others need to maintain their career and family obligations. Some people cannot decide what the best course of action will be for them and their long-term sobriety. Any treatment center being considered should be readily available to discuss their treatment programs as well as able to discuss the benefits the programs have on sobriety and any concerns.
Participating in Continuum of Care
When choosing treatment it is helpful to find a treatment program that offers a continuum of care for it’s patients. Being offered and using a continuum of care is one of the easiest and most helpful things you can do for your sobriety. The last thing you want to do after completing and inpatient treatment program is to jump back into your old life, with all the stressors and triggers, before you are ready to handle them on your own. One of the biggest aids in recovery and preventing drug overdose is the support system that develops with your family, your physicians, and other patients and alumni with the sober lifestyle. Using this support system and the continuum of care makes this transition much easier. Most patients transition from inpatient care to partial day treatment (PHP). PHP allows patients the most structure and care in an outpatient setting allowing them time off campus. After they have achieved their goals in the PHP program and therapists feel like they are ready for more of the everyday challenges they can start in our intensive outpatient care program. This program allows patients even more time off campus, time to live at home with their families or maintain a job while still using the program as support. Another thing to consider is sober living to make sure you are in a clean and safe environment that supports your sobriety. Once these programs are completed Being a part of the aftercare and alumni programs gives you access to support and education. Seminars will help you address new challenges you may face with your sobriety and alumni meetings make you feel more connected and know that you are not the only one going through this. Take advantage of these programs and make sure that you place your sobriety as a priority in your life.
Choose New Beginnings and Activity
One of the biggest complaints from newly sober patients once they have completed treatment is boredom. All the time they used to spend finding, using their substance, and being drunk or high is now empty, without the people who perpetrated those activities, and they don’t know what to do with it. One of the first things patients need to do is remove these negative people from their lives so that they cannot be a negative impact on their sobriety. Many newly sober people need to make new sober friends or at least people who respect their sobriety and work to make sure they are not triggering or tempting the patient. During treatment patients receive recreational therapy and learn the importance of physical activity. Patients will experience many new and old activities during recreational therapy and if you enjoy something, turn it into your new hobby. If you enjoy bowling, join a bowling league. If you enjoying skiing, go skiing as much as possible. Going out and doing these new things will take up your time so you won’t be bored and in a group setting you can meet new people and make new friends who have similar interests and you can share the hobby with. Make sure these people support your sobriety and won’t be negative influences on your sobriety. Many new friends can also be made through the program and within the alumni community. Using physical activity and recreational activities is a good way to maintain a healthy lifestyle by increasing endorphins and other natural occurring chemicals in the brain. Exercise also helps rebuild the brain and its networking, things that would have been damaged by past drug use. Sober activities are one of the best ways to prevent drug overdose after addiction treatment.
Remember What You Learned & Plan To Avoid Relapse
It is important to remember what you learned in treatment. Use some of the techniques taught in therapy to relax you if you feel anxious or stressed. If you were prescribed medications for any co-occurring disorders, make sure that you continue to take those when and how the doctor told you to. Also, remember to be careful with new prescriptions, especially opiates, there are non-narcotic pain relievers available. Don’t forget the support group that you have. If you need to go to a 12-Step meeting, then go, or talk with a counselor about something that happened that day that is making you want to use. You do not have to deal with the stressors and triggers of life by yourself just because you finished treatment. Use the support system that you have. Before you finish treatment, you will work with therapists to come up with a plan about where you will be staying, how often you will go to meetings, and other fundamental decisions. You will acknowledge that there will be stressors and triggers and plan on how to avoid and/or deal with those. Make plans not to visit places where you used to get or use the substance as well as not to communicate with people who influenced your use. Learn what your triggers and stressors are and how to handle them in a healthy manner. Plan on what you will do if you have a craving whether it be going to a meeting or just sampling taking the time to relax. The most important thing to do is to be ready for these triggers and cravings. Know how to handle them and how to get through them sober. The longer a recovering addict is sober the easier it becomes to remain sober and avoid overdose.
