Understanding Codependency and Setting Healthy Boundaries

Addiction counselors have recognized unique symptoms and patterns of behavior demonstrated by those who live in close proximity to drug addicts. The connection to people who are chemically dependent is called codependency and it presents the following harmful symptoms:

• Increased relational stress
• Increased opportunity for physical and emotional abuse
• Anxiety disorders
• Depression
• Increased likelihood of substance abuse and addiction

In many cases employees and bosses spend more time together than parents and their children or even spouses do. If your boss is addicted to drugs you would benefit greatly from codependency counseling. You will develop understanding about addiction and codependency that is specifically relevant to your situation, especially dealing with the following issues:

• How to establish and enforce healthy relational boundaries
• How to identify faulty thinking and harmful reactions in yourself
• How to communicate your concerns in a healthy, productive way
• Protecting yourself from the toxic side-effects of addiction

Many employers offer codependency therapy as a part of their employee wellness packages. To understand your role in the workplace as it relates to substance abuse, you must first understand how that environment is already affecting you.

How to Communicate Clearly about Drug Addiction

Most employers have established policies for communicating concerns about substance abuse in the workplace. Often employees are unwilling to raise their concerns because they fear reprisals from their boss. Check with your company’s HR department about the policy for raising concern. There may likely be a way for you to tip someone off anonymously about your concerns. If you are unable to find this information – or if you are a part of a very small firm that doesn’t have its own policies for these things – you may call our toll-free helpline any time for professional, confidential advice.

Help Talking to a Boss about Addiction

If you are concerned about your boss’s drug abuse and don’t feel you have anywhere to turn, we are here for you. Our specially trained counselors can answer your questions and suggest strategic plans of action that will protect you from any collateral damage related to codependency. This may be the help your boss needs, so don’t carry this burden alone. We are here for you 24 hours a day at a toll-free helpline.

Is Your Patient Addicted?

The following are signs of a potential or current drug addiction in a patient:

• Obsession. Is your patient constantly steering the conversation towards a drug category or a specific drug?
• Ignoring harm. Is your patient experiencing side effects but is still interested in continuing to take the medication?
• Compulsion. Does your patient demonstrate anxiety, when you suggest that they begin to wean off the prescribed medication?
• Denial. Does your patient exhibit addictive behaviors yet deny that he or she is taking any drugs?
• Secrecy. Is your patient vague or evasive about alcohol or drug usage?
• Depression. Does your patient suggest that without the prescribed medication he or she feels depressed or suicidal?

If you suspect truth behind your addiction suspicions, you need to act. Trust your instincts and explore the possible addiction further with your patient.

Helping Your Patient Recognize Addiction

You have several options for providing support including the following:

• Weaning. If the patient is receptive and has identified a problem with prescribed medication, you may work with them to create a schedule for tapering off the dosage or frequency of use.
• Intervention. Approaching the patient with your concerns is a form of intervention. Be specific as you describe the behaviors that suggest that they may have a problem. Present information about treatment options, recovery resources and local support groups.

Get Help Addressing Drug Addiction in Patients

It is difficult to determine whether you are treating an addict, and it is even more difficult to know how to respond. We can help, and our toll-free helpline is here for you 24 hours a day. We can answer questions about recognizing addiction and offering addiction treatment options. Please call today.

Physical Signs of Drug Abuse

Different drugs create different physical symptoms such as the following:

• Dilated (enlarged) pupils
• Droopy eyes
• Pinpoint pupils
• Greatly increased physical strength or endurance
• Acne, scabs or other skin irritations
• Constant sniffing
• Sleepiness or inability to sleep
• Lack of appetite
• Broken or damaged teeth
• Excessive perspiration
• Needle marks
• Slurred speech
• Stumbling or other impaired motor skills
• Weight loss
• Persistent thirst

Possession of various items may also indicate drug abuse. While students may carefully hide possession of actual drugs or obvious paraphernalia such as syringes, some other relatively common materials may be left about, including these items:

• High-powered lighters
• Burned and crushed aluminum cans
• Empty aerosol cans, glue tubes or paint containers
• Broken glass (light bulbs)

Psychological Signs of Drug Abuse

While physical signs may be hidden, drug abuse almost always causes significant psychological or emotional changes that students will be unable to hide for very long. These changes can include the following:

• Irritability
• Defensiveness
• Depression
• Irrational exuberance
• Lack of interest in previously important activities and relationships
• Emotional volatility
• Marked changes in grades (up or down)
• Illogical speech
• Dazed expressions
• Marked changes in energy levels or attentiveness

Significant changes in a student’s energy levels, complexion or personality may be caused by hormonal issues related to puberty, but persistent changes could be a cause of concern. If combined with any of the previously mentioned physical symptoms action should be taken immediately.

What to Do If You Suspect Drug Abuse in a Student

Depending on your role in the student’s life your reaction to any suspicion of drug abuse may change. Schools often have very specific instructions for teachers and other faculty members. However, parents are often left to navigate this terrifying experience on their own. In general, if you suspect drug abuse in someone, you should take the following action:

• Collect evidence of abuse without prejudice
• Seek the advice and help of addiction professionals
• Communicate your concern to other appropriate individuals
• Follow through with whatever recovery help you can provide

It is important for you to understand that addiction is a disease that any student can develop. Some may have a biological predisposition toward dependency that is triggered by a prescription. Others may have been pressured into drug or alcohol abuse by friends. It is easy to assume a lack of character amongst drug abusers, but this is not always accurate and is rarely helpful in treatment.

How to Help a Student Abusing Drugs

If you are concerned about drug abuse by a student in your life, please call our 24 hour toll-free helpline any time. Our specially trained counselors are always standing by, ready to answer any questions you may have. We can connect you with the best treatment resources for your specific needs and can help you decide what role you might play in the eventual recovery of the student.

There is no need to navigate this confusing and challenging road on your own. The call is free and anonymous, and the helpline is always open. Don’t make excuses and don’t delay. Call today.

The Drug Abuse Screening Test

The drug abuse screening test, or DAST, is commonly used by doctors and rehab counselors to determine if a patient is suffering from drug abuse or addiction. This test is composed of questions that, when answered honestly, can determine the severity of an individual’s drug use. This test can be found online at addiction or addiction recovery websites, but the results are more revealing when the test is given face-to-face. An addict may not answer the questions truthfully, or he may underplay his drug habits. Some addicts may even be incapable of accurately assessing their drug behavior because they are so far under the influence of drugs or alcohol. The test will question everything from the individual’s drug activity to her family history and recent behavior. In some situations, friends or family of the addict may want to determine their loved one’s condition to answer the drug screening questions themselves. This can signify whether they need to take action and get help for their loved one.

Signs that May Indicate a Possible Drug Addiction

A drug addiction screening test will consist of questions related to the warning signs and symptoms of addiction. Questions may include the following:

• Has the subject ever used drugs for non-medical reasons?
• Has he abused prescription drugs, or taken them other than directed?
• Has she abused more than one drug at a time?
• Has the individual tried to stop using and found it difficult or failed to do so?
• Is the drug abuse a habit or continuous act?
• Does the subject use the drug in specific situations?
• Has he ever had blackouts or flashbacks?
• Does the individual feel guilty or upset with her use or behavior when using?
• Do family members suspect or complain about the individual’s involvement with drugs?
• Has drug use caused relationship problems or severed friendships?
• Is there any prior family history of drug abuse?
• Has the subject neglected responsibilities with family or at work?
• Has the individual gotten into altercations, fights, or legal trouble while under the influence?
• Are withdrawal symptoms present when not using?
• Have any medical problems occurred because of the drug use?

Answering ‘yes’ to any of these questions can indicate that a loved one may have a problem with drug use.

Get a Professional Drug Addiction Screening Now

If you believe that you or a loved one is in need of an addiction assessment or addiction screening test, please seek help from the experts. Call our toll-free helpline now to speak to a rehab specialist who can help you with your addiction concerns. Our helpline is operated 24 hours day and is available to all who are looking for quality addiction treatment services.

Recognizing Physical Symptoms of Substance Abuse

Various addictive substances cause different changes in a person’s appearance. Some changes may involve the following:

• Pinpoint or dilated pupils
• Droopy or bloodshot eyes
• Darting eyes, inability to focus attention
• Watery eyes
• Sunken features
• Sores
• Thinning hair
• Acne
• Scabs
• Lesions
• Pale or discolored skin
• Needle marks (or excessive clothing to cover arms, legs, etc)
• Marked weight loss and loss of appetite
• Broken or discolored teeth

Any of these signs could be the result of other circumstances such as an illness or allergy, but, if several symptoms are being shown for an extended period of time, they may be an indicator of substance abuse.

Other Noticeable Changes Caused by Drug Use

The real power of addiction is its ability to rewire the brain of the addict. Significant behavioral changes are common and in many cases unavoidable. These may include the following:

• Lack of interest in previously important activities
• Relational distance from non-users
• Forming new friendships with other drug users
• Dishonesty or defensiveness about substance abuse concerns
• Staying awake for several days and then crashing
• Decreased academic or professional performance
• Loss of motivation
• Severe mood swings
• Depression
• Suicidal thoughts, comments or actions

Recognizing the appearance of these behavioral or psychological changes especially in conjunction with the physical symptoms previously listed can be an important step in identifying addiction in a friend or loved one.

What to Do if You Suspect Substance Abuse or Addiction

Addiction is both a physical and psychological disease that requires careful, professional treatment. Great advancements have been made in recent years related to counseling, treatment and lasting recovery for addicts and those who love them, but the healing cannot begin until help is sought. The following are a few action points to consider if you suspect substance abuse or addiction in a loved one or in yourself:

• Gather information about addiction
• Explore all available treatment options
• Communicate your concern clearly, directly and without distractions
• Offer your support and commit to the entire recovery process
• Consider holding an intervention with a professional interventionist if necessary
• Establish and reinforce healthy relational boundaries to avoid enabling the disease or succumbing to the effects of codependency

Help Is Available for Addicts and their Loved Ones

Call our toll-free helpline any time of day or night for information and support for addiction recovery. Our counselors can connect you with the best treatment options for your unique needs or can offer guidance on helping a loved one. Please act now, and call our helpline today.

• Loss of trust
• Increased disagreements
• Potential for abusive behaviors, verbal or physical
• Grief over emotional distancing from the family member
• Mood swings
• Compulsive behaviors
• Deterioration of emotional and physical closeness

While you might think you are hiding your addiction from your family members, you are not. If you keep a journal about your daily life and look over the past several weeks and months, you would probably be able to confirm just how much damage your addiction has caused your family.

Seeking Addiction Rehabilitation Options

If your family finds out that you are researching rehab options, it may be the first step in reestablishing a healthy relationship with your family members. If your focus is on acknowledging your addiction and finding a treatment program that will meet your needs, you can be encouraged by your family’s support of these efforts. Your family may also feel encouraged that you are finally accepting responsibility for your addiction and making attempts to get help.

However you do not want to give false hope to your family members by researching rehab options and then not taking the next necessary step. When you are truly committed to getting help, your family can become hopeful that you are doing what is necessary to remove the damage that addiction has caused.

How Addiction Rehabilitation Helps Families

Many successful rehab programs include the family during the initial assessment through to continued follow-up aftercare. These programs recognize that including family and friends in recovery improves rehab outcomes. They help families and recovering individuals work on the following:

• Rebuilding trust
• Interacting in a constructive manner
• Identifying ways to diffuse situations before they escalate
• Learning how to manage emotional fluctuations
• Strengthening emotional and physical intimacy

Your family members can learn about addiction and how they can encourage your recovery. They are made aware of how their behavior in the past may have enabled your addiction and can learn ways to encourage and support your recovery.

Get Help for Addiction

Healing broken relationships and engaging in positive family relationships is not always easily achieved during and after addiction recovery, but we can help. Please call our toll-free helpline today. All calls are confidential, and we are here to help.

The Best Kind of Addiction Treatment

Addiction treatment will allow you to break free from the drugs or alcohol that have been controlling your life. Quality recovery programs offer a variety of therapy options that will help you to learn how to face everyday life as a healthy and sober individual. The best kind of treatment plan is the treatment plan that works for you. If full-time inpatient care is not be a workable option for you, consider the following:

• The detox process should be an inpatient process, as withdrawal symptoms can impact health and are a strong motivation for relapse.
• Daily or partial hospitalization will involve spending your days in the treatment facility and going to your own home in the evenings. During your time in the rehab facility you will receive the full benefit of the therapies that are offered.
• Group therapy allows you to discuss your situation and your struggles with others who are also going through the same processes.
• Family and couples counseling can help rebuild relationships.

Partial or part-time rehab is a challenge, as you do not have the same level of accountability and care as is provided by inpatient treatment. However no matter what type of addiction treatment you choose the help and guidance that you receive will benefit your recovery.

Learn More about Addiction Rehabilitation Options

Please call our addiction helpline. Calls are completely confidential, toll free and are handled by compassionate counselors. We are here to answer any questions you may have about addiction recovery and the rehab process. Call us today.

How Are Therapeutic Recovery Communities Different from Traditional Treatment?

Other treatment approaches rely on individual counseling to help people identify underlying causes and behaviors that led to their addictions. However, within a therapeutic community everyone involved including treatment staff and those in recovery motivate of change. By using structured and unstructured interactions, the community encourages recovering addicts by influencing their attitudes, perceptions, and behaviors that were associated with their drug abuse.

Most therapeutic recovery communities offer a phased approach where there is a direct correlation between levels of responsibilities and earned privileges. As community members complete one phase, they take on additional responsibilities; but, at the same time they earn increased privileges which may include greater independence, spending time outside of the community, and even getting outside employment. With this phased approach, addicts can gradually re-enter society strengthened by the principles they learned and practiced within the community.

The integration phase of a TC is probably the most identifying aspect of these types of programs. The concept here is that reentry is a transitional process that requires coping skills and support systems. In some cases, the TC may insist that you not leave the program without a full-time job including benefits, a place to live and a support network.

A Day in a Therapeutic Recovery Community

A daily regime within a TC is typically structured and demanding: a 6:30 or 7:00 AM wake-up call, morning and evening house meetings, job functions, therapeutic groups, life-skill seminars, vocational training sessions, some personal time, recreation, and individual counseling.

Why Should I Consider a Therapeutic Recovery Community?

For some individuals who had a dysfunctional upbringing or had limited experiences to learn healthy social functioning, TCs provide a wonderful and supportive opportunity to do so. Even individuals who have had a healthy upbringing can benefit from a therapeutic community, because the benefits of a well-rounded life may have diminished due to substance abuse. For these people, the concept of rehab really comes into play: the ability to relearn skills and reconstruct healthy relationships strengthens physical and emotional health.

Help Finding a Therapeutic Recovery Community

If you think that a therapeutic recovery community will benefit you, call us today to explore your options. We are available 24 hours a day through our toll-free helpline to answer any questions you might have about therapeutic recovery communities. We are here to help.

How Addiction Impacts Children of Addicts

Children of addicts struggle with many emotional issues that affect them in school and contribute to the adults they will become. These emotions include the following:

• Uncertainty. Not knowing how a parent will behave at any given time causes a child to live unsure of what is right, wrong, what they need to do to protect themselves, or even if their parent is going to be there when they need them. A child that lives with such uncertainty often grows up unsure of him or herself or others.
• Fear. Children of an addicted parent are in constant fear. Fear that a parent may die or lose a job, fear that others will know that their parent is an addict and fear of being neglected or abused are common fears found in children of addicted individuals. A person who lives in constant fear in their childhood often becomes hyper-vigilant as an adult and has serious trust issues.
• Isolation. Isolation prohibits a child from learning how to effectively interact with others. Feelings of isolation can lead to serious anxiety or depression issues.

How Addiction Affects Spouses of Addicts

A spouse of an addict struggles with feelings of uncertainty, fear and isolation. A spouse often has a strong tendency to question what his or her role is in the addiction and may blame him or herself. Even if a spouse recognizes that he or she is not responsible for the addiction, the spouse often deals with frustration or hopelessness in regards to the situation. The spouse may have to “take up the slack” financially, socially or in contributing to the relationship.

Get Help for Substance Abuse and Addiction

If you or someone you know is addicted to drugs or alcohol, end the risks involved. Call our toll-free helpline to learn how you can help an addicted loved one or end the damage being done to friends and family. We are here 24 hours a day, so please call now.

The Benefits of Addiction Recovery Support

The benefits of talking to others in a drug or alcohol support group will vary, as what you get from a mutual help group may be different to what a peer gets from his or her experience. However there are several benefits that just about everyone in a support group can find to be a positive influence on their recovery, and these include the following:

• Support groups will allow you to discuss your situation with like-minded individuals who can understand what you are going through
• Support groups will provide you with a safe and non-confrontational environment in which to freely discuss your current situation and your hopes for your future
• Those who are participating in your addiction support group can offer their input and experiences to help you with your own recovery
• You can help others who are struggling with their own addiction and recovery process

Community support groups are a great way to allow recovering addicts to join forces and provide one another with the benefits of mutual help.

Inpatient and Outpatient Addiction Recovery Support Groups

Inpatient support groups can be a useful part of your recovery process. Seeing how others are coping with the addiction recovery process can help you put your own recovery in perspective. Group therapy sessions will be run by counselors who are adept at helping addicts work together and provide one another with the benefits of support. Having the support of others in the same inpatient drug rehab program will help you better understand your own recovery process. Once you leave the security of a rehab facility, it is important that you continue to participate in mutual support groups. Outpatient support groups will help you continue the recovery process and will give you support as you create a regular life that is free from addiction. Addiction recovery groups that offer support and a nonjudgmental environment are the ideal way of continuing the recovery process.

Find Inpatient and Outpatient Recovery Support

If you are looking for addiction recovery resources and information about mutual help groups, please call our toll-free addiction helpline. Our counselors will help you locate a support group that will meet your needs for continuing recovery support or will match you with rehab programs that meet your needs as an individual. We are here 24 hours a day to help you find the support you need for your recovery journey.