Mental & Emotional Self Care

I already talked about physical self care in a previous post. Mental and emotional health self care is even more important. Why? Because if you are a person with a substance use disorder then this part of you is very unbalanced and has contributed to your disorder. Sometimes it is the root cause of substance misuse. Since we are body, mind, spirit, all aspects of ourselves must be treated at the same time. This area might need a little more work to become balanced and whole. 

Again, it starts with you...the real you. Not the person you pretend to be at school, work or even home. The real you without any masks. Some people don't really know who they are since they have pretended and used substances for so long. So, the first step is to acknowledge your feelings. This takes time. What you feel is NOT who you are. It is a temporary uncomfortable place. Maybe you are angry or bitter that life dealt you so many difficulties. Maybe you are scared to get help; fear of the unknown. Perhaps you think it means being judged. It could be that you don't like or love yourself. You have self blame and guilt for getting into this situation and having this disorder. Well all that can get better and those feelings can go away! How? First, make the phone call for help. Entire cities are getting together and each agency near you may have a common goal of supporting you, guiding you towards treatment and recovery, and being there for you every step of the way. Gone are the days of going at it alone! Even if your family and friends are not supportive, these agencies are being taught on how to manage your care according to all your specific needs and be your support system. If this is not the case, then find an area that is adopting this type of care. It will be well worth it.

After you start treatment and feel safe and supported, let all those negative feelings melt away. Cry if you need to....it is therapeutic. Then it is time to get to know yourself. Self reflection is needed. Counseling is recommended. In most treatment programs it is mandatory since it is so crucial to success. Also do things on your own such as taking a walk every day and think about yourself: your dislikes, what you like about yourself such as your positive qualities. Think about happy times in your past and what you can do to make happy memories in the future.  Make an appointment for a Reiki session which is energy work that facilitates balancing and healing all aspects of you. Reflect while you paint or do color therapy. Besides walking, it is one of the best activities for self reflection and it can be fun! Work on a jigsaw puzzle. Go out and sit in nature without distractions. Listen to a  guided meditation in a place where you won't be disturbed. Sit in the Sun. Do some gardening or get some houseplants and take care of them (yes talk to them!). Listen to meaningful music. Journal by writing or drawing every day. Join a peer support group. Recovery is successful when you have multiple support sources. Plus you might make a friend or two.

Now that you know yourself a little it is time to love yourself and express who you are. Forgive yourself.  No more self blame!  Do one thing for yourself  EVERY day. It is so important to love yourself and to show yourself that love. Practice positive affirmations every day and say them out loud. Learn a new hobby that always intrigued you. Dance while no on is looking! Hug a pet or a friend and share your love. Watch a comedy and engage in laughter which is very therapeutic. Read a self help or spiritual book. Go out and listen to live music. Join a social club of some sort. There is a social club for every type of interest such as sports, art & culture, photography, book club, dinner & movie, dog walkers, singles, chess, cribbage, billiards, gaming , arts and crafts, etc...

As I said before, it starts with balancing the physical, mental/emotional and spiritual aspects of yourself. All this is needed for a successful recovery.

Physical Self Care

Self care is #1 priority for everyone! To be truly happy and feeling well, people must take care of themselves physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. A person can't be the best they can be if one of these areas is unbalanced. Dissatisfaction with life, unhappiness, and negativity can be the result from the lack of self care. Let's talk about physical self care.

Sleep. Without enough sleep a person can feel cranky and be irritable. This affects those around you and all your relationships with people at home, at work and when you are out with the public. It sets you up for a negative day. Also, it affects your coping skills. For example: dealing with traffic in a healthy manner is much more difficult when deprived of rest and sleep!

Food. Not eating healthy can make you feel sluggish. Your brain might not be getting the protein and nutrients it needs to function at top level. Trouble concentrating at school or work can result. Long term results could be the development and susceptibility to disease.

Exercise. Not exercising can also make you feel sluggish, easily fatigued with loss of muscle tone and strength. All your tissues are getting the minimum amount of oxygen needed. Your heart needs to be exercised. Studies show that cardiac problems such as high blood pressure can be improved by exercising. If  you are not active physically, stress builds up within you since there is no energy release from daily stress and negative emotions. As stress levels increase, anxiety can result. Blood pressure and blood sugar go up. All of that contributes to the development of diseases.

What can you do for physical self care?

Stick to a bedtime routine. Relax for an hour before trying to sleep. Don't eat too late in the evening since that can contribute to insomnia. Read a book. Take a hot bath and unwind. Shut off your cell phone early or program it to ring for certain numbers only after a certain time of night.

Eat healthy. I am not talking about being a fanatic unless that is what you want. Logically, choose foods with less salt and sodium and don't use the salt shaker. Choose foods lower in sugar and limit sweets to fresh fruit. Use fresh or frozen vegetables instead of canned. Have fun with new recipes! Choose heart healthy options on the restaurant menu.

Take a daily walk for 30 minutes. Not motivated to do that? Then adopt a dog from the Humane Society and that will force you to take that walk every day. Take the stairs instead of elevator. Park your car further away from the store entrance. Get a neat bicycle and ride the local trails. Join fundraiser walks for your favorite cause. Be creative and have fun with your partner!

Other ideas: make an appointment for your annual physical or wellness visit. 

Monitor your blood pressure and blood sugar if applicable.

Try something different for your health such as acupuncture, chiropractor, or treat yourself and get a massage monthly. Join the local Y and use their pool. Try something you always thought about, like Tai Chi, gentle Yoga, kickboxing, Judo or Karate. Take a self defense course. Go hiking. Make it fun and challenge someone to do a specific number of trails to try to beat you. Join a local club that does activities together such as dancing of any kind, hiking, nature walks, rollerblading, volleyball, biking, swim racing.

It all starts with taking care of yourself. Start doing this and getting help and staying in recovery will become easier.

Here is how we can make a difference!

I went to a conference where virtually every public and community health agency in the area where I live was represented. There is a change in the wording of the common language being used when speaking about "addiction". I want to talk about this and explain some of the reasons why this is being changed.
When you hear the words "addict", "addiction", "drug abuse", it brings a mental image to whoever hears or reads these terms.....for example, the word abuse brings on the image of someone hurting another person. These words, which depict images when heard, influence a person towards being judgmental of that person or group of people. This could affect the quality of healthcare for that judged person. Maybe that person feels judged and won't go for help. That is a terrible thought! We need to stop judging by changing our language when speaking about or with "people with substance use disorder". Doesn't that sound like we are talking about an everyday person with a diagnosis that needs to be treated? Yes! Let's start using these terms:
substance use disorder, person in recovery, drug misuse, actively using, abstinent, not using.
NO more addiction, addict, drug abuse, former addict, clean, dirty. Let's talk about people as if they ARE people, like you, like me. When people who have a substance use disorder talk about themselves, they also should not use the old terms. Why? Because talking about themselves in a negative way presents a negative self image in their own mind. When they say it over and over again, that negative self image is reinforced over and over. That is enough to make anyone depressed, want to hide and numb those negative feelings! So let's help others talk and feel more positive about themselves. It starts with me and you. Together we can make a difference!

Let's talk about Opiate Use & Drug misuse

Takoda says, "Talk LOUD"

Takoda the rescue dog got a second chance at Life...someone you know might not if they misuse opiates, other drugs, or medications so....talk LOUD

Let's talk about
Opiate
Use &
Drug misuse

with your friends, with your kids, with your parents!

Personal Power

We all have personal power. Yes, we are made of energy particles therefore we are energy and energy is power. We all have the ability to use our power in amazing ways. We also have Free Will to do what we want with our energy. Have you ever "willed" yourself sick before an event you really did not want to go to...focused intensely on how happy you would feel after passing an exam...visualized yourself excelling in a sports game and actually have these happen, just as you expected? You used your personal power. What would happen if you focused on how to steal some money for the next fix....constantly lied to cover your habit...always thought about your "bad luck"? Your power would start becoming negative and sickly. Once you cross over that line and become addicted to some type of opioid, you give your personal power away to the drug 100%. The drug now controls you. You have allowed the drug to take your personal power. It starts affecting every aspect of your life because you are now the puppet. The drug has taken over your personality. You are negative, irritable and don't care about anything except your next drug use. It ruins your family life, social life, your school and/or your work. On the outside you are the same person, but on the inside you lack personal power because you gave it away. So, TAKE IT BACK! Step 1 in the 12 Steps talks about admitting you are powerless. Any disagreement there? If you are an addict then you are powerless at this time. But you CAN start heading the the direction of getting your power back 100%. It is never too late to begin this process. In order to do this you must begin at a basic level and admit that drugs have your personal power.... temporarily. At the very least, start Addiction Counseling. Maybe you need inpatient or maybe an outpatient clinic fits your needs. See an Addiction professional. They can get your input then tell you which one is best for you. Don't rely strictly on your friends and family unless they have experience and education in Addiction. There are too many myths out there. Family and friends however, can be a great support system if they are interested in becoming educated and involved with your recovery. With the right treatment, with the right professionals, with the right attitude, you CAN take back your personal power 100%. Read about "The Next Step: The Phone Call" and read about being "...nervous about going to a 12 Step Meeting" for more insight.

My Friends Keep Calling and Stopping By Even Though They Know I Started Recovery!

You will hear about how "friends don't tempt friends when they start a recovery program". Just think about it.....those friends are addicts too! Don't get angry. Addiction likes company. No matter how much a friend wishes you the best in recovery, the addict in them can't leave you alone. If you truly believe that your addiction is a disease then you must believe the friends knocking at your door have a disease also. But, the fact is, you must do what is best for YOURSELF, or recovery will not work for you. You can offer support while they seek treatment but don't put yourself in the position where they are using in your presence. Even if you don't participate in the drug use, the temptation will seep into your brain. You might start dreaming of using or have severe cravings when you are really stressed about something in your life. It will spiral down from there. So don't go there. If a friend is not ready to seek treatment then just let them know that you will be there when they decide to take that first step. Tell your friend that until that happens, they must stay away from you, out of respect of the friendship. No phone calls, no visits. This is the best approach with friends. Anyone else who is not a friend you can just say no and go away! If a person continues to bother you despite your request, say what you must to discourage them. This is your life and you want to live!

Myth: Methadone rots your teeth

FALSE. Teeth do not rot within months of starting a methadone program. It takes time, lots of time to have more than one tooth rot enough to be pulled. It is the amount of time you spent using that is the culprit. Years of not eating properly (and not taking vitamins), years of not brushing, years of not seeing a dentist for preventative cleanings will lead to tooth decay. A poor diet for an extended period of time will leave your body deficient in nutrients. Then your body start taking nutrients where it can, at the least vital place...your teeth. Once you are in recovery, you start noticing what you couldn't see or feel while you were using all those years. Your gums are sore, they might bleed easy, you have uncontrolled bad breath. You start taking care of your health and think you escaped any health issues. Then one day you bite into something and start chewing and....snafoo! A broken tooth. It is easy to blame methadone and since there is some amount of sugar in the liquid form. It might sound like a very logical blame to you. But know it takes years to do that kind of damage. Nothing you can do about it now except take care of what is, and do what you can to prevent any further damage. At the first sign (or before) of trouble with teeth or gums, make an appointment with a dentist. Don't wait until you are in pain, have an infection or break a tooth since there will be a period of waiting until an appointment is available. Worst case scenario:  having a legitimate infection with pain and going to the Emergency Room as an addict asking for an antibiotic and pain med. If they don't want to give you pain med, you suffer. If they give you pain med, you should give the med to a family member who can dispense the correct amount of tablets to you during the prescribed time frame. Until you are further along in recovery it is way too tempting to abuse the prescription. You don't want to make your situation worse, make yourself feel worse or lose any ground you gained while in recovery. If you made progress in recovery, be proud and ask someone to help you with your prescribed med!

The First Step: The Phone Call

So you don't want to tell your family or friends you have a problem with misusing substances or medication...OK. It's your life, but if you want to take that next step towards a BETTER life, then you need to talk to professionals who can help you with tackling this disease and head towards recovery. So it is a matter of making that first phone call. NOT always a  simple task!  You might feel a rush of all kinds of feelings that are very uncomfortable. Feelings you have numbed and shoved back inside of you all this time. One way to help minimize this experience is to have someone with you when you make that first call. It can be someone from a recovery group or local community service. Heck it can be a firefighter or a social worker or nurse in the local Emergency Room. All public service professionals will be willing to sit with you for a few minutes as support while you make your first phone call for help with your disease. If you have someone in your personal life with you at the time of the phone call, make sure they are stable, sober, not impaired and have your best interest at heart. FYI:  The first phone call will 1) give you basic info on the service,  2) info on insurances accepted or cash payment and either 3). make your first appointment for an Intake or put your name on a wait list. ***This phone call, entire conversation and any info given is completely confidential.  NO ONE can call and see if you called, NO ONE can check to see if you have appt or are on the wait list. NO ONE, period. Not even your mom! This is the law! A violation of this law can get a person jail time. So congratulations if you made your first phone call :)  I will talk about the first Intake appointment in another section with the word Intake in the title.

Do I have to tell anyone?

Have you ever tried to explain the mechanics of what is wrong with a car and how to fix it to someone who doesn't have a clue?  That is what you will get trying to talk addiction to friends and family who are not educated on the subject. It is a foreign language and a foreign land. Not their fault and not their problem. It's your problem and your recovery. Some family are open to the subject and if they are ....well, you are very lucky!  Not everyone is open to the subject when it comes to family. Could be pride, or maybe they are addicts/alcoholics themselves! Who wants to look in the mirror? If you don't have the support of family and/or friends then there are plenty of support groups and others in recovery you can turn to. If it's one thing I know to be true:  addicts will always accept other addicts and be there for that 2 am phone call when you really want to use. You don't have to be BFF, but some type of support is needed in recovery. Someone who understands exactly what you are going through and can listen without judging. With the opioid crisis going on there are many new hotlines, support groups, treatment centers and professionals in this field. If one doesn't suit you, there are plenty more to try.