Leslie Glass's Blog, page 326
October 26, 2018
Parent Teen Relationship Key To Wellness
From Science Daily What causes some adolescents to thrive while other teenagers struggle with substance abuse and mental health? Through years of research, the scientists who study development and the clinicians who treat troubled teenagers have developed a list of risk factors that predict the problems faced by adolescents.
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, an influential philanthropic organization that focuses on health, recently published a report on adolescent wellness that prioritized risk factors for adolescents. The top three — poverty, racism and discrimination — have been on the list for many years, but the 2018 report included a new factor: ongoing pressures to excel that occur in high-achieving schools in mostly affluent communities.
Although attending a high-achieving school might not seem as risky as living in poverty or facing racism or discrimination, decades of research has shown that in fact it is.
“Teens in high achieving schools face different kinds of pressure, but it is substantial pressure nonetheless,” said Arizona State University psychology graduate student Ashley Ebbert.
Ebbert has worked with Frank Infurna and Suniya Luthar in the ASU Department of Psychology to examine how the quality of the parent-child relationship influenced the mental health of adolescents who attend high-achieving schools. She is first author on an upcoming paper in Development and Psychopathology that will be published on October 25.
A long-term predictive study of adolescence
The researchers used data from the New England Study of Suburban Youth (NESSY), a long-term study of adolescents led by Luthar, Foundation Professor of Psychology at ASU and co-author on the paper. Participating students came mostly from two-parent families where the parents were white-collar professionals and well-educated. Each school year the NESSY participants completed questionnaires that included measures of their mental health and assess the quality of their relationships with others. The ASU researchers used assessments of the mental health and quality of parent relationships from 262 children.
“Parent-child relationships continue to serve as instrumental sources of support throughout adolescence,” Ebbert said. “The quality of these connections can have ripple effects on adjustment and mental health outcomes.”
The researchers used data from seven years — sixth grade through senior year of high school — to look at how the children’s feelings about the parent-child relationship affected their mental health as seniors in high school. The yearly assessments evaluated feelings of alienation from each parent, how much trust the child felt with each parent and how well the child and parents communicated.
“We wanted the child’s perspective on the relationship with their parents because ultimately it doesn’t matter much how parents think they are doing,” Luthar said. “It’s what the children experience that is far more important in terms of effects on their mental health.”
During the senior year of high school, the participants’ mental health was assessed with surveys that measured depressive symptoms and anxiety levels.
The interplay of alienation, trust and communication
Starting in the sixth grade, the children reported growing disconnect with their parents. During the middle school years, the participants indicated increases in feelings of alienation from both parents as the levels of trust and quality of communication decreased.
“Kids pulling away from parents is a well-known phenomenon of adolescence, but we found that it really begins in early middle school,” Luthar said.
The pulling away from parents associated with adolescence happens as the teenagers, or even pre-teenagers, begin to explore self-sufficiency and independence. Ebbert said a natural inclination of parents is to give their child space to navigate independence, but she added that if this response is seen as disengagement by kids, it can lead to problems like the ones the researchers found in the NESSY participants.
“We wanted to understand how the changes in the children’s feelings of alienation, trust and communication with both parents affected their development, so we examined whether the reported changes could predict depressive symptoms or anxiety by the end of high school,” said Infurna, associate professor of psychology and co-author on the paper.
Increases in alienation from both parents and decreasing less trust between children and their mothers were related to higher levels of anxiety in grade 12. Depressive symptoms in grade 12 were also predicted by increasing alienation and decreasing trust with mothers during the high school years.
The researchers found gender differences, in both the student participants and in the effect of parents. Middle school girls reported experiencing greater increases in alienation from both parents and greater decreases in trust with their mothers. Symptom levels at age 18 also differed, with girls experiencing higher levels of anxiety than boys during the senior year.
There were differences in the average quality of the relationship with mothers and fathers. Overall, the participants reported feeling closer to their mothers, which the researchers suggested might explain why the changes in alienation, trust and communication were greater between children and their mothers.
“Our findings emphasize the importance of parents constantly working on close and supportive relationships with their children, even if the teenager or pre-teen is pulling away,” Ebbert said. “The teen might be pulling away as part of the natural process of developing into an individual separate from their parents, but parents remain a primary influence and the primary source of support for the teen.”
Story Source:
Materials provided by Arizona State University. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
The post Parent Teen Relationship Key To Wellness appeared first on Reach Out Recovery.
Alcohol Hijacks Memory
One of the many challenges with battling alcohol addiction and other substance abuse disorders is the risk of relapse, even after progress toward recovery. Even pesky fruit flies have a hankering for alcohol, and because the molecular signals involved in forming flies’ reward and avoidance memories are much the same as those in humans, they’re a good model for study.
The findings were published on Thursday, Oct. 25, in the journal Neuron.
Karla Kaun, assistant professor of neuroscience at Brown University and senior author on the paper, worked with a team of undergraduates, technicians and postdoctoral researchers to uncover the molecular signaling pathways and changes in gene expression involved in making and maintaining reward memories.
“One of the things I want to understand is why drugs of abuse can produce really rewarding memories when they’re actually neurotoxins,” said Kaun, who is affiliated with Brown’s Carney Institute for Brain Science. “All drugs of abuse — alcohol, opiates, cocaine, methamphetamine — have adverse side effects. They make people nauseous or they give people hangovers, so why do we find them so rewarding? Why do we remember the good things about them and not the bad? My team is trying to understand on a molecular level what drugs of abuse are doing to memories and why they’re causing cravings.”
Once researchers understand what molecules are changing when cravings are formed, then they can figure out how to help recovering alcoholics and addicts by perhaps decreasing how long the craving memories last, or how intense they are, Kaun said.
Molecular manipulation
Fruit flies have only 100,000 neurons, while humans have more than 100 billion. The smaller scale — plus the fact that generations of scientists have developed genetic tools to manipulate the activity of these neurons at the circuit and molecular level — made the fruit fly the perfect model organism for Kaun’s team to tease apart the genes and molecular signaling pathways involved in alcohol reward memories, she said.
Led by postdoctoral researcher Emily Petruccelli, who is now an assistant professor with her own lab at Southern Illinois University, the team used genetic tools to selectively turn off key genes while training the flies where to find alcohol. This enabled them to see what proteins were required for this reward behavior.
One of the proteins responsible for the flies’ preference for alcohol is Notch, the researchers found. Notch is the first “domino” in a signaling pathway involved in embryo development, brain development and adult brain function in humans and all other animals. Molecular signaling pathways are not unlike a cascade of dominos — when the first domino falls (in this case, the biological molecule activates), it triggers more that trigger more and so on.
One of the downstream dominos in the signaling pathway affected by alcohol is a gene called dopamine-2-like receptor, which makes a protein on neurons that recognizes dopamine, the “feel-good” neurotransmitter.
“The dopamine-2-like receptor is known to be involved in encoding whether a memory is pleasing or aversive,” Petruccelli said. And alcohol hijacks this conserved memory pathway to form cravings.
In the case of the alcohol reward pathway studied, the signaling cascade didn’t turn the dopamine receptor gene on or off, or increase or decrease the amount of protein made, Kaun said. Instead, it had a subtler effect — it changed the version of the protein made by a single amino acid “letter” in an important area.
“We don’t know what the biological consequences of that small change are, but one of the important findings from this study is that scientists need to look not only at which genes are being turned on and off, but which forms of each gene are getting turned on and off,” Kaun said. “We think these results are highly likely to translate to other forms of addiction, but nobody has investigated that.”
The team is continuing its work by studying the effects that opiates have on the same conserved molecular pathways. Additionally, Kaun is working with John McGeary, assistant professor of psychiatry and human behavior at Brown, to look at DNA samples from patients with alcohol abuse disorders to see if they have genetic polymorphisms in any of the craving-related genes discovered in flies.
“If this works the same way in humans, one glass of wine is enough to activate the pathway, but it returns to normal within an hour,” Kaun said. “After three glasses, with an hour break in between, the pathway doesn’t return to normal after 24 hours. We think this persistence is likely what is changing the gene expression in memory circuits.
“Just something to keep in mind the next time you split a bottle of wine with a friend or spouse,” she added.
In addition to Kaun and Petruccelli, other authors from Brown were technician Michael Feyder; undergraduate Nicolas Ledru; undergraduate Yanabah Jaques, who is continuing her research in Kaun’s lab through a Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program; and postdoctoral researcher Edward Anderson.
The National Institutes of Health (grant R01AA024434, COBRE grant P20GM103645, and RI-INBRE grant P20GM103430) funded the research.
The post Alcohol Hijacks Memory appeared first on Reach Out Recovery.
9 Ways to Spot a Sociopath
From Rosie McCall @ Health: When you think of a sociopath, you probably picture Christian Bale in American Psycho, or Anthony Hopkins in Silence of the Lambs. But like most mental health conditions, sociopathy—or antisocial personality disorder (ASP)—exists on a spectrum; and not all sociopath are serial killers. One study estimated that as many as 3.8% of Americans would meet the condition’s diagnostic criteria. So odds are, you know someone who has ASP.
“It’s a syndrome characterized by lifelong misbehavior,” says Donald W. Black, MD, professor of psychiatry at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine. “People with an antisocial personality disorder tend to be deceitful, impulsive. They ignore responsibilities and, in the worst cases, they have no conscience.”
The disorder can be relatively mild, he adds: “Maybe they lie, maybe they get into trouble with their spouses, and that’s about it.” At the other end of the spectrum are thieves and murderers, says Dr. Black, who is the author of Bad Boys, Bad Men: Confronting Antisocial Personality Disorder (Sociopathy). “Most people are in the middle.”
One thing to note: While we tend to use the terms “sociopath” and “psychopath” interchangeably, they mean different things. Whereas most sociopaths are prone to impulsive behavior and often seen as disturbed or unhinged, a psychopath is cold and calculating, sometimes even charming. “I view [psychopathy] as the extreme end of the antisocial spectrum,” says Dr. Black, “because virtually all psychopaths are antisocial, but not all antisocials have psychopathy.”
To be diagnosed with ASP, a person must be at least 18 years old and have a history of aggression, rule-breaking, and deceit that dates back to their childhood. Here are some of the other red flags to watch out for, based on criteria listed in the DSM-V.
Symptom: Lack Of Empathy
Perhaps one of the most well-known signs of ASP is a lack of empathy, particularly an inability to feel remorse for one’s actions. “Many people with ASP do seem to lack a conscience, but not all of them,” he explains. Psychopaths always have this symptom, however, which is what makes them especially dangerous. “When you don’t experience remorse, you’re kind of freed up to do anything—anything bad that comes to mind,” says Dr. Black.
Symptom: Difficult Relationships
People with ASP find it hard to form emotional bonds, so their relationships are often unstable and chaotic, says Dr. Black. Rather than forge connections with the people in their lives, they might try to exploit them for their own benefit through deceit, coercion, and intimidation.
Symptom: Manipulativeness
Sociopaths tend to try to seduce and ingratiate themselves with the people around them for their own gain, or for entertainment. But this doesn’t mean they’re all exceptionally charismatic: “It may be true of some, and it is often said of the psychopath that they’re superficially charming,” says Dr. Black. “But I see plenty of antisocial men in my hospital and in our out patient clinic and I would not use the term charming to describe them.”
Symptom: Deceitfulness
Sociopaths have a reputation for being dishonest and deceitful. They often feel comfortable lying to get their own way, or to get themselves out of trouble. They also have a tendency to embellish the truth when it suits them.
Symptom: Callousness
Some might be openly violent and aggressive. Others will cut you down verbally. Either way, people with ASP tend to show a cruel disregard for other people’s feelings.
Symptom: Hostility
Sociopaths are not only hostile themselves, but they’re more likely to interpret others’ behavior as hostile, which drives them to seek revenge.
Symptom: Irresponsibility
Another sign that someone might have ASP is a disregard for financial and social obligations. Ignoring responsibilities is extremely common, says Dr. Black. Think, for example, not paying child support when it’s due, allowing bills to pile up, and regularly taking time off work.
Symptom: Impulsivity
We all have our impulsive moments: a last minute road trip, a drastic new hairstyle, or a new pair of shoes you just have to have. But for someone with ASP, making spur of the moment decisions with no thought for the consequences is part of everyday life, says Dr. Black. They find it extremely difficult to make a plan and stick to it.
Symptom: Risky Behavior
Combine irresponsibility, impulsivity, and a need for instant gratification, and it’s not surprising that sociopaths get involved in risky behavior. They tend to have little concern for the safety of others or for themselves. This means that excessive alcohol consumption, drug abuse, compulsive gambling, unsafe sex, and dangerous hobbies (including criminal activities) are common.
Can ASP Be Treated?
Therapy can help manage some of the symptoms and side effects, particularly in milder cases. But it’s unusual for a sociopath to seek professional help. “One of the curious things about this disorder is a general lack of insight,” explains Dr. Black. “They may recognize that they have problems. They notice that they get into trouble. They may know that their spouses are not happy with them. They know that they get into trouble on the job. But they tend to blame other people, other circumstances,” says Dr. Black.
The good news is that symptoms of ASP seem to recede with age, says Dr. Black, especially among milder sociopaths and those that don’t do drugs or drink to excess. But if you know someone with ASP, the best thing to do is steer clear, warns Dr. Black: “Avoid them. Avoid them as best as you can because they are going to complicate your life.”
The post 9 Ways to Spot a Sociopath appeared first on Reach Out Recovery.
Unloved Daughters: Understanding “Echoism” May Help You Heal
From Peg Streep @ Psychology Today: While the word “narcissism” has certainly gone mainstream—Google it and you’ll be offered up no fewer than 57 million entries—the term “echoism,” coined by my fellow blogger Dr. Craig Malkin in his book Rethinking Narcissism, is now beginning to get the recognition it deserves. Mind you, echoism isn’t a diagnosis but a trait, and knowing about it can be valuable on the journey to reclaiming yourself from the effects of a toxic childhood or one in which your emotional needs weren’t met.
The Narcissist Has A Prey
The term derives from the same Greek myth as narcissism. The story is a morality tale about the gods, overstepping bonds, unrequited love, and the dangers of self-absorption. A wood nymph named Echo is punished by the Goddess Hera for distracting her from spying on one of her husband Zeus’ paramours; Echo is deprived of her voice, only able to repeat the words said by another. The other thread in the myth is the beautiful Narcissus who is granted eternal life as long as he doesn’t catch a glimpse of himself; again, there is a glitch because the gods notice that he’s rather a cad and he leaves a trail of spurned dead lovers in his wake. Mind you, all of this via Ovid and other sources, long before chick flicks and Lifetime movies. Yes, as scripted, destiny is cruel: Echo falls in love with Narcissus who sees his reflection, becomes besotted with his own pretty face, and dies (but he does get to turn into a flower which is more than Echo gets) and the spurned Echo becomes, yes, an echo.
In Dr. Malkin’s view, if narcissism is seen as a spectrum—with healthy self-regard in the middle—the grandiose, self-absorbed and empathy-deficient Narcissus is one on end and the disempowered and voiceless Echo is on the other. While none of us needs convincing that it’s bad to be a narcissist and even worse to be involved with one, it’s really no better to be at the self-effacing end where the person is incapable of seeing her own needs, much less addressing them. And, yes, being in a relationship with an echoist has its own set of perils.
The Unloved Daughter Is An Echoist
Not every unloved daughter will become an echoist; her behaviors are developed in response to her mother’s treatment of her and some patterns of maternal behavior are more likely to produce an echoist—someone who doesn’t have enough healthy narcissism or self-regard—than others. Mothers who are high in narcissistic traits who teach their children that their job is to stay in Mom’s orbit, act as she wants you to act or pay the consequences, and that pleasing someone else is more important than voicing your own needs and wants provide the perfect environment for raising an echoist. This daughter has learned that the path to success with her mother is remaining voiceless.
Daughters who have mothers who are combative or controlling also learn that to speak out has a high price and some will detach from their own feelings and thoughts to go along to get along; they have absorbed the lesson that staying under the radar is a safe place to be and that unconscious assumption follows them into adult life. Mothers high in control with an authoritarian style of parenting often believe that criticizing a child or undermining her achievement prevents her from “getting a swelled head,” being self-centered, prideful, or thinking “too highly of herself” also produce echoists. Similarly, shaming a child for “being too sensitive” or crying or showing her feelings muzzles the child emotionally and echoism becomes a way of protecting herself.
In my book, Daughter Detox, I use the framework of attachment theory to explain the effects of childhood treatment on the unloved daughter.
Not being seen, not having your emotional needs met, and not being loved or supported results in an insecure adult style of attachment.
There are three:
Anxious-preoccupied
Fearful-avoidant
Dismissive-avoidant.
The first two—anxious-preoccupied and fearful-avoidant—also describe the echoist.
What This Perspective Adds To Understanding
While using attachment theory gives us the clearest picture of the unloving mother’s effect on her daughter’s unconscious behaviors, her deficits in managing emotion, and the mental models which govern her unconscious assumptions about love and relationship, using the full spectrum of narcissism can give us special insight into certain problems that dog so many of these women in adulthood. One such area is that of achievement and setting goals.
Anecdotally at least, the unloved daughter seems either a chronic underachiever or a high achiever; from all the interviews I’ve conducted for both of my books on the subject and all the conversations I’ve had since, there appears to be little ground in between. The underachiever is usually understood in terms of her lack of self-esteem, lack of self-confidence, and how she’s been taught to avoid failure but adding the perspective of echoism builds another layer of nuance into the mix. According to Dr. Malkin, the extreme echoist doesn’t want to be noticed; she’s much more comfortable hiding in the shadows where it’s safe and what better way to do that than to underachieve? Interestingly, while she doesn’t want to draw attention to herself, she is caring and does for others; she’s the friend you have who’s always willing to go the extra mile for others but who cringes at a compliment. Do you know her?
In my view, echoism sheds even more light on the unloved daughter who’s a high achiever. While, on the surface at least, these women seem to have fully recovered from their childhoods and appear to have overcome being ignored or marginalized, put-down or criticized, they continue to be plagued by self-criticism and doubt. Their feelings of being “less than” absolutely co-exist with accolades and honors, high-paying and prestigious positions, not to mention advanced degrees. Their achievements don’t bring them the kind of satisfaction and sense of well-being they would to someone who has a secure attachment style and who’s in the healthy middle of the narcissism spectrum. They often feel like imposters or frauds, attributing their successes to flukes or luck instead of talent and effort.
Echoism explains all that; despite their standing in the outside world, they’re still echoists at heart, especially if they fear being mistaken for or labeled as a narcissist like their mothers. Alternatively, since the echoist knows better than to ask anyone for anything—her childhood has taught her that needing something is a weakness or dangerous—her achievements may serve as protection, a declaration to the world that she’s fine as is and needs nothing from anyone. Of course, deep down, that’s not true; like Echo, she can’t find a way to give voice to herself.
Whether the echoist is anxious or fearful, she still suffers, even if she can’t put why she does into words. Is this you?
Using An Understanding Of Echoism
Please keep in mind that echoism, as Dr. Malkin explains, is a trait, not a diagnosis. It isn’t the same as being introverted; you can be introverted, have stable self-regard, and still, dislike being spotlighted center-stage. Using the full narcissism spectrum as a way of understanding both your own behaviors and those of others is a helpful addition to the toolbox the unloved daughter needs on the road to recovery.
The post Unloved Daughters: Understanding “Echoism” May Help You Heal appeared first on Reach Out Recovery.
6 Tools For Keeping Serenity In The Election
This week, pipe bombs were delivered to prominent democratic leaders. Clearly, the stakes in this upcoming election are high, and much effort is thrown into magnifying our differences. The political drama could zap my serenity if I let it. Instead, I’m using these 6 tools to keep my serenity.
1. I’m Going To Use My Voice
Voting is a place where my opinion matters, and federal laws are in place to protect my voice. Other people’s opinion of who I should vote for are NONE of my business. Likewise, my opinion is mine alone and best kept to myself. Sharing opinions on such an emotionally charged subject invites everyone to cross the lines of personal boundaries.
2. I Can Only Take Care Of Me
Each registered voter has the obligation to research the candidates and make an educated decision, but I cannot make them do that. Nor can I round up all of the registered voters and drive them to the polling places. If they choose to not vote, I should keep my mouth shut. Every person knows what’s best for them. I don’t.
3. I’ve Prepared A Speech
Just because people ask who I vote for or support doesn’t mean I have to answer. This year, I have a phrase ready like, “I don’t care to discuss it.” Some people are bullies, so I am prepared to repeat myself verbatim as often as necessary. “I don’t care to discuss it.” Having a young son gives me lots of practice. If repeating doesn’t work, I’ll say, “You’ve already asked, and I’ve already answered.”
4. I Can Elect To Not Participate
I’ve also learned to shut down arguments by simply not responding. Arguments are like fires; they need fuel to keep burning. Silence smothers the fire. It’s awkward, but effective.
5. I Can Move To Another “District”
Sometimes, I just have to walk away, and the bathroom is my go to spot for restoring serenity since most people understand the built-in boundary of the bathroom. They don’t need to know that I’m actually doing yoga in there or reading one of my Al-anon books. And they almost never ask.
6. When None Of These Tools Work, I Reach For The Serenity Prayer
It holds the answers to life’s toughest questions:
God, grant me the serenity to accept that these candidates are my choices in this election, the courage to write in a vote if I deem it necessary, and the wisdom to keep my mouth shut about who I voted for.
My fellow Americans, especially those affected by addiction and recovery, just for one day, let’s pretend we have nothing to fear, but fear itself. Our voice is an incredible asset that many of us are learning to find. So to paraphrase John F. Kennedy: Ask not what your country can do for you, but ask what can your voice do for your country?
The post 6 Tools For Keeping Serenity In The Election appeared first on Reach Out Recovery.
What Is Red Ribbon Week?
From Redribbon.org: Enrique (Kiki) Camarena was a Drug Enforcement Administration Agent who was tortured and killed in Mexico in 1985. When he decided to join the US Drug Enforcement Administration, his mother tried to talk him out of it. “I’m only one person”, he told her, “but I want to make a difference.”
On Feb. 7, 1985, the 37-year-old Camarena left his office to meet his wife for lunch. Five men appeared at the agent’s side and shoved him in a car. One month later, Camarena’s body was found. He had been tortured to death.
In honor of Camarena’s memory and his battle against illegal drugs, friends and neighbors began to wear red badges of satin. Parents, sick of the destruction of alcohol and other drugs, had begun forming coalitions. Some of these new coalitions took Camarena as their model and embraced his belief that one person can make a difference. These coalitions also adopted the symbol of Camarena’s memory, the red ribbon.
In 1988, NFP sponsored the first National Red Ribbon Celebration. Today, the Red Ribbon serves as a catalyst to mobilize communities to educate youth and encourage participation in drug prevention activities. Since that time, the campaign has reached millions of U.S. children and families. The National Family Partnership (NFP) and its network of individuals and organizations continue to deliver his message of hope to millions of people every year, through the National Red Ribbon Campaign
.
The post What Is Red Ribbon Week? appeared first on Reach Out Recovery.
5 Recovery Lessons I Learned About Myself
Recovery lessons are tough to learn. Since I’ve been working on these lessons for two decades, I have had some time to think about recovery, and what I’ve learned about myself. Here’s what recovery work revealed about me that I didn’t know at 21, or even 30.
Recovery Lessons I’m Glad I learned
1. I’m Tough As Nails
Not in the fake, exterior, “no one can hurt me” way. I no longer get rattled by little things. I rarely get rattled by big things. I earned my thick skin by learning how not to take things too personally. I also experienced “the worst” and survived. More than once. Now I know I can survive sober and dignified no matter what comes my way. FYI, there’s no alternative to sober reference.
2. I Had The Grit To Rebuild My Self-Esteem, And It’s Something Money Can’t Buy
I no longer care if you like me, or my work. If it makes me happy, that’s all that matters. That’s not to say I turn a blind eye to constructive criticism, or conduct myself in an unbecoming fashion. It only means, I won’t divert from my purpose just because someone doesn’t like it, or me.
3. I Have Peace Of Mind
Things are pretty clear at 40, and that clarity has given me peace of mind. When I felt insane because I didn’t know how to manage my emotions, I suffered. When I fought with loved ones because I didn’t know how to maintain healthy relationships, I suffered. When I struggled with romance, finance, and food, I suffered. Gaining the information, tools, and guidelines I needed to understand these vital areas of life changed everything. I don’t suffer anymore. That also means I don’t have to make other people suffer anymore.
4. Compare Equals Despair And It’s Not For Me
My life experience is my own. No one who hasn’t lived it will understand it, and to compare my life to other people’s would be an exercise in insanity. Instead of looking around and wondering why my life doesn’t look like other people’s, I’ve come to the safe practice of only monitoring my progress. If I continually move in the right direction, I’m all good.
5. Caring For Another Creature Has Been Essential For My Soul Development
I’m not a parent, but I am a dog-mom. I had a mentor who used to tell me dogs open your heart chakra. I agree. I have a dog who’s needed a lot of medical care. Rushing a paralyzed puppy to the ER at 3 am, several times, created a new level of responsibility in me for which I’m grateful. Caring for him has also helped me see how to care for myself. He’s never missed a walk, meal, dog park trip, play date or vet appointment. If I can show up for him like that, I can show up for myself like that.
The moral of the story is, while this may sound like it’s too much work, like it’ll take too long, and the pain along the way will make it impossible to get through—it wasn’t. I’m proud of what I did. I’m proud of who I’ve become: reliable, responsible, accountable for my actions, hard-working, disciplined, healthy eater, fit, self-supporting… I guess it’s like any other major endeavor one takes on, like starting a family or training for a marathon. There are days you jump out of bed and want to take it all on, and there are days you just don’t feel like it. But, once you finish that marathon or see your child, or puppy, run around, would you ever consider changing your decision? I wouldn’t.
The post 5 Recovery Lessons I Learned About Myself appeared first on Reach Out Recovery.
5 Ways To Cope With Holiday Stress Eating
I struggle with challenging emotions—fear, loneliness, shame, guilt, worry, joy, excitement, sadness, despair. For years, I resorted to food, drugs, and alcohol to avoid them. Now, instead of stress eating, I turn to these five healthy habits.
Emotional Coping For Stress Eating
Feeling emotions is a normal part of life. It’s part of being human. Recovery isn’t the absence of emotion, rather it’s learning to cope with those emotions, as difficult as they are. It’s also letting go of ineffective patterns of thought and behavior. On a good day, this isn’t easy. In times of stress, like the holidays, this can turn into a pressure cooker of emotions, ready to burst. Without drugs and alcohol, emotions can feel intense, overwhelming, and threatening.
Sometimes our emotions are so strong that they take control of our thoughts. The immense pressure tempts us to resort to old behavior to cope. This is why the holidays, or any other stressful scenario, pose a risk of relapse or engaging in unhelpful and ineffective behaviors such as emotional overeating.
Holiday Emotional Triggers
Unfortunately, I feel triggered in the home environment. I’m the only female among many brothers, the only one who isn’t married and with children, the one without a corporate or medical career. And I’m in recovery. I feel different. My self-esteem and sense of worth is deeply compromised. Ironically, this isn’t necessarily because of how they treat me. It’s more of how I compare myself to them. So I can feel very strong emotions in that environment.
And feeling overwhelmed by those negative emotions makes me want to do one thing: escape.
The very first substance I used for this was food. Eating my feelings has been a well ingrained behavior and coping strategy of mine since I was six years old.
Know Your Pattern Of Emotions
Knowing this pattern of emotions, thoughts and behavior has helped me make great strides in my emotional recovery. Now I don’t emotionally eat like I used to. However, at times of emotional stress, I can still revert back to it. Which is why I have a coping strategy for my emotions at stressful times. These are my trusted tools:
1. Mindfulness Meditation
I spend time checking in with my body. How do I feel? I note any difficult emotions I’m feeling. That way I can witness those feelings and emotions without letting them take over. How am I feeling, why am I feeling that way? It is just a habit to let negative feelings take over, or is there really something wrong today? These are some of the questions I may ask myself. I don’t let default bad feelings take over. That’s what mindfulness can do. If you’re not a meditator, deep breathing also helps to calm down.
2. Journaling
A lot of people in recovery use the tool of writing to identify feelings and then process them. Writing about my emotions is a great way to process them and take the power out of them. I also make it a practice to look at what I have done right that day, such as journaling, and meditating, and what I am grateful for to change my mindset to a positive outlook.
3. Exercising
Exercise lifts your mood. Many people in long term and successful recovery use exercise as a primary tool to feel good. During the holidays when food calls from every direction, the feel good spike that exercise brings is even more important. I exercise every day during the holidays, even if it is a walk around the block. Getting out of the environment helps me regain perspective. The endorphins from exercise improve my mood and lessen the power of the emotions I feel.
4. Talking Therapy
Talking helps and should be a part of all recovery programs. During the holidays when reunions may get you down, talking it over with a trusted friend or mentor can made the difference between a good day and a bad one. Whether it is a friend in recovery, or a therapist, I make a point of checking in with someone every day who knows that I am at home, and that I can feel triggered. In the same way as journaling, it takes the power and intensity out of my feelings.
5. Taking A Pause Break
They say a craving passes in fifteen minutes. Is it a trick that works for you? When I feel like overeating, I try to pause and check in with my body and mind. Sometimes waiting ten minutes, doing a short meditation, or having a glass of water helps pass the craving to revert to overeating.
The post 5 Ways To Cope With Holiday Stress Eating appeared first on Reach Out Recovery.
October 25, 2018
Top 8 Most Dangerous Drugs
There are two primary factors which allow us to better understand what makes a drug so dangerous:
1. How much harm it causes to the body and mind.
2. It’s risk of addiction.
We can further separate harms to the body and mind into short-term and long-term effects. Short-term effects of drug use are the immediate consequences that work against your health. These effects vary depending on the drug. For example, when someone takes heroin, a large amount of dopamine is released into the system. As the high begins to come down, the dopamine leaves your system and the brain needs time to refuel itself with natural dopamine. During this time, the user feels symptoms that are very similar to the flu (such as diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting).
Long-term effects are the health consequences which appear overtime after continuous use of drugs. This is a prime concern for people who struggle with addiction. Again, the exact effects depend on the drug of choice and how often/much you use. Common long-term symptoms of drug use include, but aren’t limited to:
Anxiety
Depression
Hear complications
Kidney problems
Liver problems
Lung complications
Paranoia
For the most part, health problems and addiction go hand-in-hand. People who experience addiction usually have one or more associated health complications. Four common health issues due to drug addiction include:
Cancer
Heart or lung disease
Mental health conditions
Stroke
If you’re using any of the following drugs, you’re not only at great risk of forming an addiction quickly…you also risk adverse health complications. The following list is a compilation of the most dangerous drugs our current market has to offer.
#8 – Heroin
At one point in history, heroin was prescribed as a painkiller for chronic pain. But because so many people could not control their use, the drug became illegal. Since its discovery in 1874, it’s been one of the most destructively abused drugs people have gotten their hands on. This is namely due to its intense euphoric effects which are highly addictive.
When heroin metabolizes in the body, the brain reacts by flooding the system with neurotransmitters. This triggers pain relief and a sense of euphoria, the basis of a person’s addiction. But when someone stops taking heroin, their body and brain reacts with almost opposite effects. Dysphoria and depression are common, accompanied by very uncomfortable withdrawal.
#7 – Cocaine/Crack
Since crack is cocaine with additives (such as baking soda), the additional chemicals make it a more dangerous drug than cocaine itself. Sometimes dealers cut crack with toxic ingredients. However, both have hazardous effects on the individual for both long and short term.
The following are long-term effects of crack and cocaine use:
Angina, a pain in the chest due to tightening vessels.
Arrhythmia, an irregular heart rate.
Blood clots which could lead to a heart attack, deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, or a stroke.
Brain damage.
Damage to the nose and mouth due to cocaine being either snorted or smoked.
Gastrointestinal damage.
Infectious diseases.
Kidney damage.
Liver damage.
Myocardial infarction, due to a lack of oxygen from poor blood flow, a heart muscle can die.
Permanently increased blood pressure.
Respiratory problems and pulmonary damage.
Tachycardia.
Furthermore, since cocaine is a stimulant, the heart pumps faster when someone is high on it. This can lead to a heart attack or other overdose complications which hold potential to be fatal. Crack and cocaine are very dangerous and people develop addictive habits to them quickly due to the intensity of the high and the immediate effects it has on the body. It’s important to seek help if you or a loved one is currently addicted to crack or cocaine.
#6 – Crystal Meth
Crystal meth is one of the most devastating drugs you can get your hands on. Short-term effects include being anxious and sleep deprived. Long-term effect include brain damage, damage of blood vessels, and sinking of the flesh.
Since the high of the drug starts almost immediately, and fades after 10-12 hours, people tend to continuously dose in order to keep the high going. This kind of behavior is known as a “binge and crash” pattern and is very dangerous considering how consistently drugs are being put into the body.
Furthermore, crystal meth affects your brain chemistry. Naturally, neurons recycle dopamine. But when you put crystal meth in the brain, it releases lots of dopamine itself, causing neurons to not have to work. When you stop taking dopamine, the neurons must learn to naturally recycle again and the body goes through crystal meth withdrawal.
#5 – AH-7921
Since AH-7921 isn’t very common, there’s a likely chance you won’t come across it. However, that doesn’t take away from the fact that it’s highly addictive and dangerous. AH-7921 is a synthetic opioid which has around 80% of the potency of morphine.
The health complications are very similar to heroin, but since it’s also a synthetic, there’s risk of causing respiratory arrest and gangrene.
#4 – Flakka
This is a newer drug which recently hit Florida’s Fort Lauderdale area. Also known as alpha-PVP, Flakka is a stimulant which has similar chemical structuring to amphetamines found in bath salts. The effects it has on the user are similar to cocaine, but 10 times stronger. These include:
Extreme agitation and violent behavior
Hallucinations
Increased friendliness
Increased sex drive
Panic attacks
Paranoia
Not only is Flakka extremely addictive, it also has serious risks to your harm. Unfortunately, since these drugs have only recently hit the market, there’s only so much known about how the amount of impairment it can do to the brain and body. However, researchers are aware that the consequences of Flakka are similar to the next drug on our list.
#3 – Bath Salts
This drug was originally sold online and used the term “bath salts” to disguise what it really is: cathiones. There isn’t enough research conducted for bath salts to fully understand the effects it has on the body for short-term and long-term use. However, clinicians at U.S. poison centers have discovered that some of the consequences to taking bath salts are:
Agitation
Chest pains
Delusions
Extreme paranoia
Increased blood pressure
Increased heart rate
Furthermore, there’s been an alarming rate of ER visits due to bath salts. Though this drug is dangerous in itself, due to the fact that there’s so little known about it, people who take it are putting themselves at greater risks which may be unknown. If you or someone you know is taking bath salts, it’s important to seek treatment immediately.
#2 – Whoonga
Whoonga is one of a kind in the sense that it’s unlike most drugs in the illicit market. It’s a combination of antiretroviral drugs – which were created for the sake of treating HIV – and cut with other substances such as poisons and detergents. It’s not common in the United States, but has found prominent popularity in South Africa due to the high rate of HIV in South Africa.
Whoonga is highly dangerous towards your health and can cause:
Death
Internal bleeding
Stomach ulcers
Again, since this is a relatively new drug, little is known about the drug.
#1 – Krokodil
A recent drug which has been trending in Russia, Krokodil has affected over a million people. The problem with it is people have supplemented it for heroin due to its price – about a third of the price. The danger with Krokodil is it’s often homemade which can be very unsanitary and hosts a variety of ingredients including, but not limited to:
Gasoline
Industrial cleaning agents
Iodine
Lighter fluid
Painkillers
Paint thinners
Most people who take these toxic chemicals usually do so through injection. In turn, this has caused some of the following reactions to happen very soon after getting hooked on the drug:
Gangrene
Phlebitis, injury to the veins
Severe tissue damage
Spread of HIV
Krokodil hasn’t been seen widely in the United States yet, but is spreading through Europe rapidly.
Am I Addicted?
Health problems can be directly caused by an addiction. But what is an addiction? Addiction defined as:
Compulsive behavior during which the user has the inability to stop taking drugs despite the negative consequences it has had on their life.
It’s important to note that addiction isn’t a choice, but rather, a disease which is very hard to control. No one seeks to become addicted to drugs.
You may wonder whether you or someone you know is addicted to drugs. In order to find out, you can ask the following questions:
Are you unable to keep up responsibilities due to your drug use?
Has use of drugs affected previous activities you used to enjoy?
Have you continued to use drugs despite it causing problems in your relationships?
Have you ever tried to quit drugs without having success?
Do you find yourself craving to use drugs?
Do you spend a large amount of time thinking about, obtaining, or using drugs?
Do you find yourself engaging in risky sex or high-risk situations because of drugs?
If you or your loved one answered yes to any of the above questions, you’re most likely facing an addiction. It’s important consult a doctor as you don’t want to fall victim to certain health problems due to your addiction.
From Addiction Blog
The post Top 8 Most Dangerous Drugs appeared first on Reach Out Recovery.
Three Trends On The Rise As Generation Z Grows Up
Today, tech innovations are being introduced faster than I can keep up. Did you know that a flying car may be unveiled at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo? Yes, I just said that. A rider in this flying car plans to light the torch at the beginning of the games. Toyota is funding a company that hopes to introduce it to the world before anyone else does. (It’s essentially a drone that someone can sit in.) I think we’ll all feel we’ve entered an episode of the Jetsons.
Wow.
Since the launch of the 21st century, our world has experienced the acceleration of smart technology—and with that new technology, a new lifestyle. Almost everyone I know, enjoys the perks of a world where everything is a “quick click” and suddenly food arrives at your door; or a car arrives to transport you to your destination; or a smart device answers your every question from the kitchen.
I’d like to invite you to spend five minutes thinking with me about the ramifications of this new world that’s emerging before our eyes. Perhaps there are lessons for us.
1. E-Scooters to Get Around
Have you heard? The rage in many cities today is an e-scooter that was dropped off in some downtown area by a company like Bird, or Lime, or Spin. These scooters are a new way to get around when you must travel a bit and feel it’s too short to drive, but too long to walk or run. These scooters are yours to lease with an app, and you can ride them from wherever you find them to wherever you’re going and leave them there. You are charged for the distance. Believe it or not, it’s become a $3 billion industry in under two years. Call it a fashion fad if you like, but it’s growing fast.
So, what’s the trend and is it a problem?
The trend is—e-scooters are a fun and innovative way to get around town, and if you haven’t spotted them already, you may see them soon. The trend isn’t necessarily bad, unless the pattern of riding replaces exercising (walking, biking or running) like we used to do. Millennials had a small problem with obesity; Generation Z has a giant problem with it. We are a culture that sits or rides more than we walk or run.
2. Vaping to Get High
When I attended high school in the 1970s, teens would smoke “pot” to get high, but they knew it was wrong. Today—the narrative has changed. Many smoke it and don’t believe it’s wrong at all; and in fact, they point to medical advantages of “vaping.” This is where a person inhales through an electronic vaporizer. Vaping works by heating a chamber, containing either nicotine or cannabis oil, until the liquid vaporizes. The findings of the 2016 National Youth Tobacco Survey of more than 20,000 middle and high school pupils found that about 12.4% of high school students had vaped cannabis. That’s about one in eight teens.
So, what’s the trend and is it really a problem?
“The use of marijuana in these products is of particular concern because cannabis use among youth can adversely affect learning and memory, and may impair later academic achievement and education,” Katrina Trivers told the tech website, The Verge—epidemiologist and lead author of the study.
The upside of this trend is—if it genuinely calms a student from a stressful condition—it can be a good thing. If, however, it actually damages learning skills, as the study suggests, but kids feel it’s safer because it’s electronic, we have trouble on our hands. Vaping doesn’t feel as dangerous to teens because it’s a 21st century sort of smoking.
FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb recently declared youth vaping to be an “epidemic,” and said the agency will halt sales of flavored electronic cigarettes if manufacturers can’t prove they are doing enough to keep them out of the hands of children and teens.
3. Prescription Meds to Get By
This issue concerns me the most. For years, anti-depressant sales have been climbing among children and youth. Most kids say they need them just to “get by” or to “make it through the day.” An increasing number of students are taking medication like serotonin for anxiety or depression, and a growing number are taking Adderall to help them focus, whether or not they’ve been diagnosed with ADHD. This problem is not just an American one. The BBC reported England has seen a 15 percent hike in antidepressants among children between 2015 and 2018.
So, what’s the big deal? Why is this a problem?
What concerns me are the comments I hear from kids. When young people feel they need help just to make it through their day or to endure their week, something seems amiss. Please don’t get me wrong—I’m not against all prescription drugs. I am diabetic and need insulin on a daily basis. My own two adult children have taken prescriptions due to chemical imbalances in them. Because the problem is so large, however, I wonder if the key is to locate the source of their angst—not merely create a greater dependency on drugs. Could reducing social media time, or screen time in general, and replacing it with time for solitude or an outside activity possibly reduce the need for meds and enable them to build coping skills themselves?
Just food for thought. I always try to identify the reason for new trends and to find better ways to address the needs kids have rather than create artificial answers.
The post Three Trends On The Rise As Generation Z Grows Up appeared first on Reach Out Recovery.
