Six Weeks Until Christmas – Chapter 3

April 6, 2020 / Alcohol, Sober Living

Six Weeks Until Christmas by Simon Tait Chapter 3: Drinking I didn’t become an alcoholic overnight. My journey, if you can call it that, into dependency began in my mid-twenties. I started drinking at fifteen and despite finding it as attractive as swallowing sludge, my worn down taste buds lost the fight. Gradually, it became tolerable. I transitioned from being a teenager hiding in alleys drinking cheap cider to a young man enjoying an active social life with alcohol at its core. It was part of the fabric in almost every social setting. Soccer matches. Drink. Date. Drink. Holiday. Drink. …

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Six Weeks Until Christmas – Chapter 1

April 6, 2020 / Alcohol, Sober Living

Six Weeks Until Christmas by Simon Tait An Introduction During his first couple of weeks sober, Simon Tait began journaling some of his immediate thoughts and experiences. Moving from rehab to outpatient treatment, the writing assignments at the latter challenged him to dig a little deeper into his twenty-year alcohol addiction and he enjoyed the process of channeling his truth to paper and sharing it, warts and all, with others at the center. Indeed, some of the counselors advised Simon to continue writing after his three months finished not least because his fellow classmates started to request copies of his …

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Humility – July 2016 Dream Journal

April 6, 2020 / Chicago, Dream Journal, Mindfulness, New Orleans, Outer Banks

Dream Journal Volume XLI / July 2016 Note From Dr B. Humility is a critical component of the recovery process. It not only necessitates modesty, but also perspective. Oftentimes, addiction causes the individual to become self-centered, leading to low or elevated mood, so clients at Two Dreams use process groups to develop an appropriate understanding of themselves and the world around them. Processing emotions and situations in a group therapy setting allows for a more balanced mood and a more realistic outlook on life. Humility is not self-deprecation, nor is it a weakness. One can still be strong and proud while …

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Do Gateway Drugs Exist?

April 6, 2020 / Addiction Science, Drugs and the Brain, Prevention, Young Adults/Teens/College-Aged

Robert L. DuPont, Jr, MD, made the term “gateway drug” famous in his book Getting Tough on Gateway Drugs: a Guide for the Family. DuPont observed that youths at his clinic often engaged in alcohol and tobacco use before proceeding on to marijuana use. He thought that psychological barriers prevented the use of hard drugs and that once a person started frequently using certain soft drugs, they would move on to using marijuana and eventually progress to other illicit drugs as well. This book started the conversation about soft (or legal) drugs leading to the use of illegal and controlled …

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Does Ecstasy Cause Susceptibility to Infection?

April 6, 2020 / Addiction Science, Ecstasy/Molly/Club Drugs, Medical Consequences, Public Health, Research/Trends/Statistics

There has been much debate on whether or not ecstasy, also known as methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), is capable of causing susceptibility to infection. The evidence of infection is suggestive, but not entirely conclusive. Researchers have been studying the immune cell responses of rodents exposed to ecstasy. In these experiments, there seems to be a reduction in the capabilities of two immune responses: one that is genetically encoded and another that adapts to evolving pathogens (the adaptive immune response).   How the Immune System Works T cells, for example, are a group of cells involved in the adaptive immune response that seem …

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Fentanyl Patches: Pain Relief Leading to Unintentional Opioid Drug Overuse and Addiction

April 6, 2020 / Addiction Science, Heroin and Opioids, Pain, Public Health, Research/Trends/Statistics

The increased access to and overuse of painkillers seen in today’s opioid epidemic was the result of past drug policy changes. In the late 1990s, the laws governing the prescription of opioids became relaxed, giving access to populations besides cancer patients with chronic pain. In 2000, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations introduced new pain management standards, and at the same time many physicians were advocating for changes in practice to increase the use of opioids to treat chronic pain. The opioid drug epidemic was highlighted by the Centers for Disease Control in 2015, but it was actually …

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Probuphine: What You Need to Know

April 6, 2020 / Addiction Science, Heroin and Opioids, Pain

Probuphine is the first buprenorphine implant for treatment of opioid dependence. It supplies patients with a constant, low-level dose of buprenorphine for six months at a time and is designed to improve patient compliance and outcomes.   What is buprenorphine? Buprenorphine is a drug meant to help relieve cravings during opioid maintenance therapy and heroin detoxification. It is a synthetic opiate, meaning it can “trick” the brain into thinking it’s a real opiate and trigger a similar release of feel-good chemicals to counter withdrawal symptoms. It is also a partial opioid agonist, meaning that it binds to the same receptors …

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Opioid Dependence: Patient Care and Public Health Challenges

April 6, 2020 / Addiction Science, Heroin and Opioids, Pain, Research/Trends/Statistics, Suboxone Treatment

Non-medical prescription opioid use is a major public health problem. In 2011, 5.1 million people in the United States were using opioids, 4.5 million of whom were using for non-medical purposes and 620,000 of whom were using heroin. 2.2 million of those using opioids were considered clinically dependent. 1.8 million of these dependent individuals were using for non-medical purposes, and 369,000 were using heroin. On the bright side, 750,000 of the nonmedical users sought treatment for their opioid dependence. It is important to recognize that opioid dependence is a chronic disease, not a moral failing. Dependence causes dysfunction in neural …

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60 MORE Substance Abuse Group Therapy Activities

April 6, 2020 / Chicago, Holistic Care and Treatment, Inpatient, Intensive Outpatient, Mental Health, Mindfulness, New Orleans, Outer Banks, Outpatient, Prevention

We previously posted a list of 60 substance abuse group therapy activities to give readers an idea of what kinds of topics they might encounter during a theme/support group. We received positive feedback on the list, so we found 60 more to keep you inspired! Please note that Two Dreams utilizes process groups as opposed to theme/support groups. Process groups are focused on self-exploration and giving/receiving feedback. They provide a safe environment in which members can practice newfound interpersonal skills and behaviors. Process groups are mostly unstructured with no singular topic of discussion. Theme groups are focused on support and …

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Is There an Addictive Personality Type?

April 6, 2020 / Addiction Science, Prevention

A common question we get here at Two Dreams is, “why me?” People want to know what it is about their core that makes them an addict. They want to know why they are dependent on drugs while their friends are able to use in moderation. Were they born that way? Is it the way they were raised? Is there a certain type of person more susceptible to developing addictive tendencies? Most people who use drugs never actually become addicted. Some substances are more addictive than others by virtue of their chemical makeup, but addiction is comprised of so much …

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