All posts by : Clayton

The Opioid Crisis in Perspective

Tune into any major news network on any given day and its difficult not to hear something about the Opioid Crisis. More people have died from drug overdoses in 2016 year than the total number of Americans in Vietnam.[1] And opioids represented two thirds of those deaths, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC).[2] The CDC reports that as of 2014, two million Americans were abusing or dependent on prescription opioids.[3] As one drug rehabilitation expert puts it, “No family has been left untouched by the Opioid Crisis.”

 

Scary numbers but they may leave inquiring minds with basic questions like: What is an opioid? What does an opioid do to you exactly? How can we measure how severe the opioid crisis is? What are major risk factors and signs of use? And what should I do if I suspect a friend or loved one of opioid use? These are questions that we will be exploring this week.

 

What is an opioid and what do opioids do to you?

 

Opioid is a catch all term for opiates, or drugs derived from poppy plants that include morphine, and synthetics opioids that mimic an opiates connection to opioid receptors in your body. Most, if not all, of these drugs have legitimate medical uses, but as the CDC points out there have been problems with dramatic over prescription of these pharmaceuticals across the country.[4] “Providers wrote nearly a quarter of a billion opioid prescriptions in 2013—with wide variation across states. This is enough for every American adult to have their own bottle of pills.”[5] These prescriptions were concentrated in narrow geographic areas, such as West Virginia and Ohio. For our purposes, there are basically three classifications of opioid:

 

• Prescription Drugs: a broad category of prescription medications that are given out primarily for pain management. Includes drugs such as Oxycodone (OxyCotin®), Methadone, and Hydrocodone (Vicadin®).

 

• Heroin: an illegal narcotic that is typically mixed with other drugs and thus puts people at risk for overdose. It is typically injected, but can also be snorted or smoked. Also runs the risk of contracting diseases, such as Hepatitis, through unclean needle sharing.

 

• Fentanyl: a pain medication that is fifty to one hundred times more potent than morphine and is also commonly used in combination with either heroin or cocaine for added effect.

 

These are drugs that connect to Opioid Receptors in your brain, causing a combination of euphoria and sedation. They desensitize these receptors, resulting in an increased tolerance and physical dependency. If left unchecked, these drugs will cause progressively shallower breathing resulting eventually in death from respiratory system distress.

 

How can we measure how severe the Opioid Crisis is?

The commercial value of opioids, both as a medicine and as a narcotic, is well understood. The British, for example, famously fought two wars with China to export the drug into Chinese territories. These wars—essentially state sponsored drug dealing—were creatively called “The Opium Wars”.[6] Recreational use by American servicemen during the Vietnam War is well documented, as we talked about last week. In Central and South Asia, opioids are quite rampant.  U.S. military planners have said that victory over the Taliban in Afghanistan is impossible without first crushing narco-traffickers.[7] Incredibly large numbers of Indians and Pakistanis are addicted to heroin and other opioids.[8] Clearly, it’s big business. Clearly, it’s also destructive.

 

As I just pointed out, the CDC noted that about two thirds of drug deaths in 2016 were attributed to opioids. Below are a map and death counts by region provided by the CDC showing how each category drug is distributed across the country. Do note that there is huge variance by county within a given state—just because your home state has low numbers doesn’t mean there aren’t counties or cities with very high rates of abuse.

 

Table 1: Drug Deaths by Region and Fentanyl Cases Reported by State (2014, 2015) Courtesy the Center for Disease Control

 

Are other, more clinical accountings of the Opioid Crisis: the economic and logistical costs. Most opioid users are in their mid-twenties to mid-fifties. These are people in the prime of life. When they die or are near death, they cost the tax payers in terms of emergency services allocated to attempt to save a life or investigate. They also cost local, state, and national governments in the form of lost tax payer revenue. The epidemic has been so taxing that an Ohio city councilman, trying to contain the damage to his town and its emergency services, proposed a “three strikes” policy for opioid revivals.[9] Economists report that drug overdose deaths have cost the U.S. approximately one trillion dollars since 2001, with a rapidly growing rate of loss.[10] Although it may be painful to examine such an emotional issue this way, it is instructive to see how else the Opioid Crisis impacts communities.

 

What are major risk factors and signs of use?

The CDC has identified major risk factors for both Prescription Opioid and Heroin use. The Risk Factors are as follows:

 

Prescription Opioids

• Obtaining overlapping prescriptions from multiple providers and pharmacies.
• Taking high daily dosages of prescription pain relievers.
• Having mental illness or a history of alcohol or other substance abuse.
• Living in rural areas and having low income.

Prescription Opioids and Medicaid Patients

• Inappropriate prescribing practices and opioid prescribing rates are substantially higher among Medicaid patients than among privately insured patients.
• In one study based on 2010 data, 40% of Medicaid enrollees with prescriptions for pain relievers had at least one indicator of potentially inappropriate use or prescribing:
  • overlapping prescriptions for pain relievers,
  • overlapping pain reliever and benzodiazepine prescriptions,
  • long-acting or extended release prescription pain relievers for acute pain, and
  • high daily doses.

Heroin

• People who are addicted to prescription opioid pain relievers
• People who are addicted to cocaine
• People without insurance or enrolled in Medicaid
• Non-Hispanic whites
• Males
• People who are addicted to marijuana and alcohol
• People living in a large metropolitan area
• 18 to 25 year olds

Major signs of use for non-heroin opioids include, but are not limited to:

 

• Doctor Shopping—frequent changes in doctors, typically for the purpose of receiving new prescriptions.

 

• Lack of Motivation—becomes disinterested in work or life more broadly. The lack of motivation is most noticeable in the sense that things that once brought joy are now secondary or below notice.

 

• Rapid Depletion of Prescriptions—goes through a month’s worth of prescriptions in a few weeks.

 

• Sickness—often a result from a failure to receive sufficient opioids.

 

• Social Disconnection—becomes withdrawn from family and friends.

 

 

What should I do if I suspect a friend or loved one of opioid use?

Seek help immediately! Time is your enemy and you need to act quickly to become informed. Below are several government agencies that can better inform you and help decide your course of action:

• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA):

877-726-4727

• National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA):

888-696-4222

If you are in the LA area, please also consider calling one of our intake counselors. They will help you through the process and will also help refer you to a different provider if needed.

 

• The Last House

855-998-LAST (5278)

 

[1] https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/6/6/15743986/opioid-epidemic-overdose-deaths-2016

[2] https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/data/statedeaths.html

[3] https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/opioids/prescribed.html

[4] https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/opioids/prescribed.html

[5] IMS Health, National Prescription Audit (NPATM). Cited in internal document: Preliminary Update on Opioid Pain Reliever (OPR) Prescription Rates Nationally and by State: 2010-2013.

[6] https://www.britannica.com/topic/Opium-Wars

[7] https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/jan/09/how-the-heroin-trade-explains-the-us-uk-failure-in-afghanistan

[8] https://www.economist.com/news/asia/21701163-states-drugs-problem-life-and-film-pushing-poppies-punjab

[9] https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2017/06/28/ohio-councilman-suggests-three-strikes-law-halt-overdose-rescues/434920001/

[10] https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/02/13/585199746/cost-of-u-s-opioid-epidemic-since-2001-is-1-trillion-and-climbing

 

Today’s blog is something of an inaugural post. We will be bringing in strongly empirical (factual) evidence to thoroughly and simply explore and validate the claims of substance abuse experts. Today’s post, we will be exploring the effectiveness of structured sober living arrangements. The claim that structured sober living arrangements are effective has two core assumptions:

 

• The longer one is sober, the more likely they are to remain sober; and

 

• the networks and habits created by structured sober living environments make people more likely to change their behavior and stay sober longer both in and outside of treatment.

 

The Longer You Are Sober, The More Likely You Are to Remain Sober

This first claim makes intuitive sense to most people. It takes a long time to break a habit, particularly when a habit is tied to an addictive activity or substance. Prolonged sober living decreases the brain’s dependence on the substance in question as it becomes more independent in terms of generating and regulating chemicals, such as dopamine. This claim is easy to validate, as empirical research on the matter shows stark drop-offs in attrition as someone recovering approaches the 6-month mark. A meta-analysis from the late 1990s showed that those in long term treatment experienced a 50% reduction in cocaine consumption if in treatment for 6-months or longer.[1] This finding is particularly instructive given the addictive nature and the scale the cocaine and crack cocaine epidemics in the 1990s.[2]

 

Long-Term Care Structured Sober Living Creates Better Outcomes

Having established that duration of soberness is critical to maintaining sobriety (duh), we need to consider a means of extending that soberness: structured care. The idea of structured care is fairly intuitive because it centers around behavioral modification and networks of accountability.  If all your friends are drug users who use regularly, you are more likely to be a drug user. If you engage in risk enhancing behaviors, like smoking when you typically smoke while drinking, you are more likely to abuse a substance. Structured care takes those ideas and works them in reverse to break vicious cycles and create virtuous ones.

 

There are many different factors that put a person at risk for substance abuse and recovery, the most obvious being motivation. By creating a network of like-minded individuals attempting to be sober, everyone’s motivation increases. We all bicycle faster together. Similarly, creating new positive environments to live in reduces dependence on drugs. This has been shown to be empirically true. A famous study with a food and a cocaine dispenser with rats showcased everyone’s worst fear: the rat, when isolated, would continually dispense drugs until starving to death. The second part of the Rat Park Study showed that rats, when allowed to live with other rats, strictly preferred plain drinking water to drug laced water if the drug water was linked to some sort of physical or emotional isolation.[3]

 

This theory, while unpopular at the time, was proven true by the most unlikely of things: the Vietnam War. Soldiers fighting in Vietnam had notoriously high rates of substance abuse, often a form of maladaptive self-care. The fear was that when the G.I.s returned home, there would be massive drug epidemics. The truth, it seems, was that when the soldiers demobilized and returned to less traumatic and more helpful environments, they had levels of drug abuse consistent with the general population.[4] Environment and behavior are extremely important to controlling substance abuse.

 

Conclusions

The efficacy or cost effectiveness of long term treatment for heavy drug users is not exactly news, either. The RAND Corporation, a policy research and analysis firm that typically does work for the Pentagon, released a study for the war on drugs in the 1990s. In its study, RAND found that treatment was more effective and less costly than higher mandatory sentences and other law enforcement measures. The study is so thorough and convincing in its analysis that it is used as a case study for students of public policy across the country to this day.[5] Alas, these demand style approaches have not gained traction for political reasons, to the detriment of everyone from government agents to taxpayers and drug users themselves.[6] The topic of incarceration and treatment is something that we will talk about in greater depth next week.

 

[1] http://psycnet.apa.org/buy/1997-43757-005

[2] http://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/crackcocaine/a-short-history.html

[3] https://www.summitbehavioralhealth.com/blog/overview-rat-park-addiction-study/

[4] https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2012/01/02/144431794/what-vietnam-taught-us-about-breaking-bad-habits

[5] https://www.amazon.com/Practical-Guide-Policy-Analysis-Eightfold/dp/1568029233

[6] https://www.rand.org/pubs/periodicals/rand-review/issues/RRR-spring95-crime/treatment.html

Reflections on a Year in The Last House
Dan B.

When I first arrived at The Last House on December 9, 2016, I had no expectation of staying even a month, let alone the full year. It seemed such a daunting task: long-term recovery in a structured sober living. These were phrases to which I was unaccustomed. Gradually, however, I came to understand their importance and how the latter of those terms facilitated the former.
In the Last House, I found a multi-faceted program of sobriety, accomplished most importantly through 12-step work and daily attendance of Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, and naturally supplemented by their dinner groups, where both the positive changes and concerning goings-on of residents were discussed, and by the sober support network of the house’s residents,
graduates, and the West Los Angeles recovery community at large. I came to realize at The Last House, to be substance-free was the bare minimum barrier for entry; after all, alcoholic behaviors
do not disappear by abstinence of drugs and alcohol alone. Often these defects of character are amplified in the absence of mind-altering substances should they be left unchecked. The Last House put an emphasis on this in a way that none of my other treatment centers had, and I believe it made all the difference.
I had come from an expensive inpatient treatment center in Los Angeles. While there was some level of structure, in that some amount of cleanliness was expected and attendance of five Alcoholics Anonymous meetings a week were required, it was not much more than a substance-free summer vacation (which was oxymoronic to me at the time), and while that kept my parents
feeling secure in my safety, it did not do much at all in changing my thinking or behaviors. I made the most of my time there I suppose; I made good friends, several of whom had no desire or faith in sobriety, which had been my sentiment, as well. Much of my time there was spent shirking responsibilities and rules, and scheming for ways to get high and still test clean. Expectedly, my relapsing eventually happened, and unsurprisingly, I did not get away with it. I will spare the details, since they are unnecessary, but neither the treatment center nor my parents were pleased with me. It was in this unaccepting state of resentment that l was informed I would be going to The Last House.
After leaving that rehab on less than amicable terms, my first few days at the house were difficult, as change always is. What I did notice immediately was how welcoming the residents and staff were. I did not expect a cordial mood, but perhaps a more somber one, yet everyone was genuinely friendly; it made me feel at home. I was assigned a “big brother,” a resident who had been at the house for a month or so and whose job was to show me the ropes and acclimate me to the house over the first few weeks.
During my initial months at the house I made many friends, faced a great deal of challenge, had my “covers pulled” many times in house groups regarding some of my unacceptable behaviors and actions, began my step-work anew, and adapted to the busy schedule of the house. It was a much more analog life than I had experienced previously—one sans my phone, computer, and a few other modern creature comforts previously seen as rights rather than privileges—but it gave me time to work on myself without extraneous distraction. Additionally, I attended Thrive Treatment, an intensive outpatient program closely associated with The Last House and other similar sober livings. Thrive proved invaluable, as it gave me the therapeutic outlet to express my emotions during this fragile period of my recovery.
The longer into my stay at The Last House, the more responsibilities I had to balance. At first, I thought that would only make living there more difficult, the opposite was in fact true. The house had gradually prepared me for these changes, and as the responsibility increased, so did the scope of my world and my freedom. The camaraderie at the house stayed consistently high from day one, but my feelings towards the house had shifted from resentment and fear to love and respect for the house I needed to get my life back on track.
The Last House has been an incredibly difficult and demanding program, but it has changed me in ways I once never thought possible. I am now self-sufficient, responsible, 16 months sober, balance work and school currently, and have learned to manage my life effectively. Due to the progress I have made, I will finally be returning to college full-time this coming August. The Last House has given me a fresh start at life and spawned many great friendships along the way.
I am tremendously grateful and eternally thankful.

– Quinn DeLoreto 1/12/16
I am nowhere near the broken man I use to be.
When I look in the mirror, I see a future, I see dreams and aspirations, I see somebody I like.
No longer am I haunted by the torments of my addiction, or the pain of not knowing who I truly
am or supposed to be.
I have found a purpose. My steps are meaningful, my voice is passionate.
The Last House Sober Living for men taught me the true definition of what being a man is.
A man has integrity, a man treats people with respect, a man handles responsibility, a man
shows up for life with a smile.
All of those concepts seemed foreign to me for such a long time.
Prior to accepting help, I had one agenda, and one agenda only.
To not feel the way I was feeling inside, and I would do anything to numb the pain of that.
It had been a long, rocky road for me. I couldn’t stop using, my addiction took my mind away
from me.
I kept letting my friends and family down, stealing from them, lying to them, manipulating
them…with no remorse.
Stuck in this vicious cycle, which seemed normal to me, but with no hope of finding a way out
of it.
No matter how much I used, when I came down, I felt waves of shame, of regret, of remorse.
The thing that made me numb for so long, no longer did the trick.
Something had to change.
The best 3 words I ever said were I need help
After 74 days in a wilderness rehabilitation facility, my counselor asked, well, what do you
want to do
I said, what will give me the best chance of changing my life?
And he said, The Last House.
Deciding to come to The Last House was hands down the best decision I’ve ever made.
Thus, beginning a process which changed the entire course of my life.
Fortunately, I came willing to do anything it took.
Slowly but surely, through their guidance and their direction I started to feel a change.
I had a feeling that my life might actually turn out to be something.
I was taught accountability, something I had lacked my whole life.
I was shown step by step how to conquer the things that held me back.
I learned to truly love myself, deep, deep down.
I was shown brotherly love
Men willing to continuously help their brothers up after falling.
Men who will tell their brothers when they need to correct behaviors they could improve on
Men who will give both ears to listen to how your feeling.
Men who know, failing is not an option.
Men who are willing to do whatever it takes to stay sober, one day at a time.
Through many ups and downs I ended up earning the privilege to graduate the last house.
It is an honor to have gone through such a program.
The beauty of it is the connection you have with other men who have graduated the program.

We stay in communication with each other, we hang out with each other, we go to meetings
with each other
We understand that WE is stronger then I.
If there is one thing I can could change about my life, it would be…nothing.
Everything happened for a reason and it took me exactly to where I’m supposed to be.
I talk with my family regularly. My family is so grateful for The Last House.
My parents got their son back, my brother got his brother back. My nephew got his uncle back.
And the connection and communication we have now has never been healthier.
All because I decided to be quiet and listen to What the Last House had to say to me.
My life has been evolving ever since, life has been falling into place, piece by piece.
I full heartedly belief I would be dead if I had not attended The Last House
A Grateful Survivor – Quinn DeLoreto (1-12- 16)

 

 

 

 

 

 

You’ve probably heard or been asked many time as a child, “what do you want to be when you grow up?”  I remember some of my classmates were able to answer right away with things like, “a teacher, a race care driver, a doctor, a professional soccer player”, the list goes on.  I, on the other hand never really had a definite answer. At first I wanted to be a chicken (that was when I was really little), and then an artist, a pop star, a cop, a forensic psychologist, you name it. Although I have a career now in social work, I realize that careers change throughout life.  It’s expected of us to go to college at some point and are then expected to pick a major, and somehow know what we want to pursue and do right out of high school. Many times, college majors don’t even lead to that specific job. A lot of us “grow up” and still don’t know what we want to be.

Some have a career but are ready for a change and want to explore other fields.

This is where career counseling can be a great tool.

What is career counseling?

Not having a job or having a job that is unenjoyable can lead to or exasperate depression, anxiety and stress. Most Americans will spend around a third of their life at work, making career choices extremely important for over health and well being.

Looking for a career can be extremely demanding and many feel hopeless in their search However, career counseling can help alleviate some of these struggles. Career counseling is a process that helps individuals understand and know themselves and the world of work, and is designed to help someone in choosing, changing or leaving a career.

 

Who uses it?

 

Anyone can use career counseling! Youth, adults, male and female, disadvantaged, minorities, incarcerated, dropouts, single parents, displaced homemakers, teachers, administrators, parents and employers use career counseling services in various ways. The earlier you get started on your career development the more prepared you will be! Career counseling is highly encouraged in colleges, especially for freshman so that they can chose a major wisely.

 

What does a career counseling session look like and how much does it cost?

 

Career counselors have a master’s in career development and are experts in career development theory, counseling techniques, administration and interpretation of assessments, and career information resources. They may work in a private practice or at a university or college. Social workers, psychologists, life coaches and recruiters can also provide career counseling.

 

If you are seeing a career counselor at a private practice, the pricing may be high and varies depending on the counselor. The average cost can range from $70-$100 per hour with additional costs for resumes and cover letters, which can be very costly for many. That is one of the reasons why social workers and school counselors might be more common to use for career guidance. Package deals or group sessions can help reduce some of the costs of career coaching/counseling.

 

Sessions with a career counselor/coach will vary depending on what the client needs. However, a general first session may start out with a thorough history of the employment, education, skills, personality and interests which is usually gained through an interviewing process. The information is then applied to job searches and categories through innovative technology.

 

Why is it beneficial?

 

There are a number of benefits that career counseling offers. Career counselors help individual’s competencies in self-knowledge, educational and occupational exploration, and career planning.

It also helps clients explore and resolve conflicts when deciding a major in college. Career counseling can also resolve internal conflicts that pertain to feeling adequate and confident when looking for a job.

 

When in career counseling, you can expect to learn more about yourself, gain educational and occupational information, learn about decision making and career planning, conduct a job search, apply to graduate and professional schools if needed, cope with career challenges, and learn to transition smoothly from one career to another.

 

When to see one?

 

Anytime is a good time to see a career counselor, however it is an even better time if you are noticing that you are stressed, overwhelmed and stuck in your career/job hunt.

 

Thrive and career counseling:

 

Thrive Treatment prides itself on keeping members connected to community during and long after the completion of treatment and are invested in helping individuals find purpose beyond sobriety. Helping members gain community involvement and purpose through a career is important and the professionals at Thrive work with individuals to help them find careers or career counselors.

Art Therapy and Substance Abuse

 

 

Have you ever noticed how much listening to music on a drive home relaxes you after a long day?

Maybe you’ve even felt the sensation of being taken to another place when drawing!

It’s possible you’ve experienced the therapeutic benefits of art.  

 

What is art therapy?

There are many types of therapy modules used by mental health professionals in treating individuals with mental illness and substance abuse disorders. Art therapy is one of them and is used as a means of expression through creativity to improve a person’s physical, mental, and emotional well-being.  The American Art Therapy Association defines it as the therapeutic use of art making within a professional relationship, by people who experience illness, trauma or challenges in living and by people who seek personal development.

 

Art can be used in various therapeutic ways. Creating art in itself can be therapeutic and it can additionally be used as a tool in “art psychotherapy”. Art Psychotherapy uses the creative process to find symbolism and understanding of emotions and experiences.

 

Art therapy does necessarily mean just painting and drawing. It can include other mediums of art like music, dance, drama and play, ceramics, sculpting, writing, etc.

 

History of art therapy: who started it, when and how

Art has been used since the beginning of human history as a medium for communicating and a tool to connect with others. It has been used by virtue of group interactions, conflict resolution, diagnosis and self expression.  Art therapy can be traced back to the 1800’s however in the 1940’s it was defined as a therapeutic discipline.

 

Where does art therapy take place?

Creating art can be done anywhere and anytime however art psychotherapy usually takes place in hospitals, psychiatric and rehabilitation facilities, wellness centers, forensic institutions, schools, crisis centers, senior communities, private practices, and other clinical and community settings.

What is art therapy used for and how is it used in substance abuse disorder treatment?

 

Although art therapy is generally used as treatment for something- i.e. negative emotional state/ mental well-being- it can also be used for general stress, tension and self discovery.  Even coloring has many benefits!

 

Because creating art is often times a nonverbal process, it can not only help individuals explore emotions but is also help communicate feelings or experiences that one may not feel comfortable talking about in regular conversation.

 

Other benefits include personal development, increased coping skills, enhanced cognitive functioning, exploration and understanding of feelings, reconciliation of emotional conflicts, increased self esteem, and improvement in reality orientation.

 

Art therapy is specifically very beneficial to those in treatment for substance abuse disorder. It can help individuals work through the experiences, emotions and issues that have led to or worsened addiction. Art therapy has been used in substance abuse treatment since the 1950’s. There are many studies that show that using art therapy in substance abuse treatment centers enhance recovery. One study even showed that art therapy can help overcome ambivalence about recovery from substance abuse disorder. Art therapy can contribute to substance abuse recovery by decreasing the client’s denial of addiction, increasing the client’s motivation to change, providing a safe outlet for emotions and lessening the shame of addiction.

 

Substance abuse disorder is most successful when combined in addition to art therapy with other recovery services, such as detox, individual therapy, support groups, and family counseling.

 

What does an art therapy session look like?

 

The first thing to understand when participating in art therapy is that you do not need to be a good artist. You don’t need to make something pretty or nice, in fact, more meaningful things arise from some of the ugliest pieces.

 

For beginners, an art therapist may start out by having the individual or group create a magazine photo collage. The art therapist may give you a specific prompt when deciding on which images to pick. For example, you may be picking images that remind you of a certain relationship and as you are doing that the art therapist is helping if needed, offering their full attention to the clients, asking open ended questions and sharing their own observations. While discussing and viewing the finished piece, you may develop a different perspective on your problem. For example, you may find yourself focusing on a specific memory or event when talking about your piece or perhaps your made a different facial expression when looking at one of the images; this may lead you and the art therapist into another conversation and maybe to the root of the problem.

Professionals at Thrive Treatment Centers, understand the benefits that art therapy has to offer when in recovery for substance abuse. In addition to other therapy modules, Thrive Treatment Centers provide art therapy for clients on a regular basis.

The Last House Sober Living can provide a safe and sober living environment while attending Thrive Treatment.

OCD and Addiction

by Claire Godden

While alcohol and drugs may provide a temporary reprieve from symptoms of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), the combination only serves to worsen the condition over time.

“Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear” –  Mark Twain

Seeking early treatment for OCD  is extremely important but it’s never too late to get help even if you’ve been suffering with this illness for some time. Seeking treatment early for addiction is, of course, just as important.

OCD sufferers experience seemingly uncontrollable, unwanted, and intensely fearful thoughts. Instead of dismissing these intrusive thoughts, they give them meaning and significance that quickly generates a high level of anxiety.  They then engage in repetitive and compulsive behaviors in an attempt to keep the anxiety-inducing thoughts from becoming reality and to gain a sense of control. The compulsions often manifest as rituals such as counting or checking things.

Some examples of obsessive thoughts include the thought that you are going to hurt a loved one, constant thoughts about symmetry such as having all of your clothing in the closet lined up a certain way or all the jars and cans in your pantry in a certain order, or the thought that you will contract a serious illness and pass it on to your child if you touch the door handle in a public bathroom.

Grabbing a paper towel on your way out of the bathroom to open the door does not mean you have OCD. This habit probably doesn’t interfere with your life. However, if you must go back many times, take a fresh paper towel to open the door, and re-wash your hands each time until you feel it is safe for you to move on, it is likely quite obstructive and has a negative impact on your daily routine. Keeping your closets and cupboards organized is fine, but when thoughts of organization and time spent organizing things intrude on other areas of your daily life, you should probably seek help. You may have OCD if such symptoms are persistent and the obsessive thoughts and compulsive actions  are  intruding enough that they are having a detrimental effect on your everyday life. If this is the case, you must seek help.

A person with OCD has a greater chance of developing an addiction. Social isolation, depression, shame, and guilt can all be present with this illness and can increase the likelihood of the sufferer turning to alcohol or drugs in an attempt to escape and to cope.

A study published in The Journal of Anxiety Disorders in 2008 found that 27 percent of those who seek treatment for OCD also meet the criteria for a substance use disorder.

A helpful treatment for these co-occurring disorders is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). CBT takes a proactive approach to treatment and is extremely useful in helping people with OCD and addiction. CBT helps the sufferer connect their thoughts with their feelings and, ultimately, their outward behavior, thus promoting a far greater awareness of this thought-feeling-behavior cycle. The person’s reaction to their thoughts is addressed and they can learn that it is their anxiety and the distorted meaning they are attaching to the thought, not actual danger, that is causing the problem. CBT requires the individual to continue the therapy on their own, too, outside of the treatment sessions. This way, they can practice what they have learned continuously in real-life situations with all of the usual triggers.

The Last House and Thrive Treatment can both help with OCD and addiction.

“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them” – Albert Einstein