The Healing Process – Love After Addiction

Healing a relationship following addiction is no easy task. Difficulties will vary from couple to couple, alongside developed issues and the residual pain caused by them. Being involved in a relationship affected by addiction can be difficult to bounce back from, especially when maintaining a recovery. In this entry, we will offer tips to help you regain the trust lost.

1 – Communicate with your partner. Though it may seem cliché and redundant advice, it does not change its importance. Communication is key to ANY relationship – addiction or no. Expressing yourself alongside fears and troubles lets your partner know that you are being honest with them. As an addict, you likely know how the small things can snowball into something much bigger… Put a stop to them before they can escalate.

2 – Be honest. Keep in mind that your relationship is still fragile, and that any lie – no matter how “white” – holds the potential for irreparable damage. When attempting to heal a wounded relationship, it’s crucial that you take ownership for your infractions quickly. If your partner feels the need to check up on your whereabouts of behaviors, provide her with the ability to do so. Understand that your partner will likely require more than your word in order to trust you again.

3 – Listen! Providing your partner with an open forum to express their emotions without fear of anger or judgment will go a long way in aiding the repair process. Understand that your actions have had an affect on those who care about you most. Let them vent, scream and cry, while comforting them without argument or excuse. Nit picking can wait. If someone is willing to stand by throughout your recovery, they are owed the same attention and love they provide.

Do You Know the Dangers Of Salvia?

Salvia Divinorum, or Salvia - as it is more commonly know - is a natural herbaceous perennial plant producing white colored flowers during peak summer months. In recent years, experimental drug users and teens have utilized the leaves of the Salvia plant to achieve an altered mental state. Because the drug is still legal in the U.S. and most countries around the world, these leaves are often grown and sold in local health food stores without restriction. In this entry, we will take a closer look at this plant to help our readers gain a broader perspective of its effects and dangers.

What Does It Do?

Though commonly smoked, salvia users can chew the plant to achieve the same effect. The drug affects users differently according to body weight, body chemistry, and whether or not additional substances are involved. The effects of salvia are instant in most users, affecting the brain’s parietal lobe, limbic system and overall vestibular function.

Physical Effects

Salvinorin-A – a substance found in salvia – is known to cause psychoactive side effects. Some users may faint, pass out, or lose their ability to function until the drug has worn off. Some users report bright lights of visions; others a loss in basic motor skills.

Psychiatric Dangers

Those who have suffered or currently suffer from various forms of mental illness may experience relapse following salvia intake. The drug has been shown to trigger episodes of schizophrenia, panic attacks and borderline personality traits. Though most of these symptoms tend to subside as the drug wears off, some users place themselves at risk for more prolonged episodes.

Don’t have a stroke, K?

Is drug and alcohol abuse to blame for early life strokes? A recent study suggests so!

A stroke is a condition where an individual’s brain cells expire due to lack of oxygen. Direct causes may include artery rupture or a blood flow obstruction. Those who experience strokes may lose their ability to speak, encounter memory issues or partial paralysis.

Though many often associate strokes with the elderly, new research suggests a direct correlation between heightened stroke risk in younger people and the abuse of drugs and/or alcohol.

“Substance abuse is common in young adults experiencing a stroke,” wrote researcher Brett Kissela. With this point in mind, it is recommended that stroke sufferers aged 55 and younger be screened and potentially counseled for substance abuse issues.

Certain substances, such as methamphetamine's and cocaine have been found to heighten the risks associated of a more immediate stroke. “We know that even with vascular risk factors that are prevalent – smoking, high blood pressure… most people still don’t have a stroke until they’re older”, stated University of California neurologist Andrew Josephson. “When a young person has a stroke, it is probably much more likely that the cause of their stroke is something other than traditional risk factors.”

Though an array of factors can be attributed to heightened stroke risks, perhaps drug and alcohol abuse should be considered the most avoidable. In the grand scheme of things, there are plenty more ways to celebrate, indulgences to consume, and sensations to experience in the days, weeks, months and years to come.

Choose your vices wisely.

When Is An Alcohol Intervention Necessary?

When it comes to addiction, it can be difficult to determine the best route when considering potential recovery options. In some cases, it may be necessary to confront the addict by way of intervention.

Interventions are orchestrated attempts by close friends and family members to get a loved one the help they require to properly address an addiction to negative and destructive behaviors. If you are considering the possibility of an intervention for a friend or relative, the guide below will provide you with some tips to help determine the best course of action.

1 – Verify the exact ailment your loved one is suffering from. Before you can properly address an issue, you must first be able to determine the exact problem. With alcoholism, you should look for the following behaviors: Daily drinking, irritability, mood swings, missed work, and strained relationships are all common points to look for.

2 – Determine whether the individual is willing to seek help on their own. An intervention should be used only as a last resort. If your loved one recognizes the issue before them and is willing to accept help, then there will be no need for an intervention. If your loved one is interested in getting help, provide them with all the support you can muster.

3 – Discuss your concerns with close friends and family members of the individual to see whether anyone else shares your viewpoint. If you find a number of other people to validate these concerns, it may be time to seriously consider an intervention.

4 – Get in touch with a professional interventionist. Intervention specialists can aid throughout the planning, organization, and implementation of an intervention. Communicate your concerns and worries to the specialist while listening to what they have to say regarding a potential coarse of action. If your specialist deems an intervention necessary, then it’s time to move forward with an intervention plan.