Recovery is a Journey

"I'm not here for that!"

On occasion, a client may get a little frustrated with the counselor's interest in their life. This happens most often while discussing the results of a drug screen. You know, "I haven't done any heroin in months. I didn't come here to stop drinking. So, leave me alone about it!". A lot of us can see through this denial without much effort. Recovery, effective on a long term basis, may require a life-style change, not only a change in substance abuse habits. What I am suggesting is that we start to address things like our nutritional habits, stress management, exercise, spirituality, relationships, and general health issues.

Nutritional Thoughts

1. Eat five servings of fruits and vegetables of different colors each day.
2. Drink more water.
3. Eat more nutritious snacks during the day instead of just one big meal. Eat low-fat cheese, fruits, vegetables, peanut butter, light yogurt, and unsalted nuts.

Exercise

1. Regular physical activity can lower your risk of many illnesses, including heart disease, stroke, bone loss, diabetes, lower back pain, and some cancers.
2. Exercise helps you have more energy and have control of your weight.
3. Everyone should be physically active about 30 minutes or more each day.

Respiratory Infections

How to protect yourself:

1. Washing your hands thoroughly and often is the most important way you can prevent catching or spreading germs. Use warm water, soap and scrub your hands for about twenty seconds. Be sure to wash before eating, or touching your eyes, nose, or mouth.
2. Wash your hands after touching anyone who is sneezing, coughing, or blowing their nose, or has a runny nose.
3. Do not share towels, lipstick, toys, cigarettes, food, eating utensils, drinking glasses, or anything else that might be contaminated with respiratory germs.
4. Wash your hands after using the restroom.
5. When possible, avoid closed, crowded places.
6. Cover your mouth with a tissue when you sneeze and throw it away.
7. You may want to consider getting a flu shot.

Health Checks

For people twenty-five and older:

1. Have your blood pressure checked every two years, if it is normal.
2. Have your cholesterol checked, if it is normal, every five years. If not, get it checked at least yearly.
3. If you have been sexually active get checked for STD's. Why? Because 40-60% of those with an STD are not aware they are infected.
4. Those who are forty and older should get an eye exam every two to four years.
5. Women forty and older are encouraged to get a mammogram at least every 2 years; those fifty and older, every year.
6. If you are older than forty-five, get your blood sugar level measured every three years.
7. If you've never had one, get one: pap test, prostate exam, or colonoscopy.

If we want to fully recover, we will also want to take better care of ourselves. For those of you who are in your twenties and thirties, don't wait till you start having symptoms before you take care of yourself. In essence, waiting till you have to do something is just the same as waiting to get clean and sober…until you have to. So, the next time your counselor starts asking those nosey questions,or suggesting you address issues in addition to those directly involving substance abuse, give it a little extra effort.

Why Patients Leave Outpatient Treatment

A national survey from 2005 collected the following reasons patients left an outpatient treatment facility:

The highest percentages of those completing treatment were among those who were in residential, or more structured recovery settings.

How does AALCT measure up? Let's look at the drop out rate. Our drop out rate is only 3%, compared with this survey's average of 29%.

What does Addiction Cost Us?

Recently, the state of California's Marin Institute did some measuring and comparing of the cost of alcoholism compared with natural disasters and tobacco. Below is what the institute reported:

This study only looked at alcohol and tobacco. What is the cost to our society when we also consider other drugs? You guessed it…incredibly high.