Addiction - Trupath Recovery

10 Tips for Overcoming Insomnia During Rehab

April 5, 2023July 15, 2022 by Price Allem

Insomnia During Addiction Treatment

Insomnia is one of the most common symptoms of drug and alcohol withdrawal, especially during early recovery. Drugs and alcohol can negatively impact several neurotransmitters in the brain that are essential for good mental health and for getting a good night’s sleep. There are several substances that can also mess with circadian rhythms which are known for causing insomnia. Chronic pain due to substance abuse and withdrawal can also cause sleep disorders. Many in long-term recovery also report chronic insomnia, and taking sleeping aids may risk their sobriety, causing many to suffer from a sleep disorder.

Sleep quality is essential for healing from addiction and co-occurring disorders that may have resulted from long-term substance abuse. Insomnia causes several health conditions as well, including increased risk factors for congenital heart disease, and increased blood pressure, and affects mental health. However, there are several natural ways to help you fall asleep and get a good night’s sleep.

10 Steps to Recovering from Codependency

April 5, 2023July 11, 2022 by Price Allem

How to Identify the Signs and Patterns of Codependency

Codependent relationships are any relationship where one person puts everybody else’s needs ahead of their own. This may be seen in a romantic relationship, a family, or a friendship. Common patterns of codependency that occur between codependent partners or another codependent person include:

Compliance – doing what others want to avoid change, making somebody angry, or getting approval, even if it involves staying in a dangerous or harmful situation
Denial – minimizing or denying their own unpleasant feelings, labeling others negatively, masking their own pain, and not taking care of themselves so they do not have to set limits with others
Having low self-esteem – having difficulty making their own decisions and seeking validation from others, or relying on others to feel safe
Control – believing nobody else will be able to “do a good job” taking care of others the way they do, using sexual attention to get approval, using passive aggression or shaming others to control them emotionally
Avoidance of intimacy – avoiding intimacy or acting in ways that incite anger or rejection from others to create emotional distance, believing displays of emotion or affection are signs of weakness

Codependency recovery is not easy, but with the help of the right program in the right treatment center, you will be able to heal from codependency.

What is Executive Rehab and How Does it Work?

February 14, 2023June 29, 2022 by Price Allem

When someone realizes substance abuse is negatively affecting their life, they often face a tough decision about stepping away from their home, family, and work in order to seek addiction recovery treatment. This can be especially true for those in the executive ranks, like chief officers, company vice presidents and presidents, and other high-ranking positions in an organization. That’s why executive alcohol rehabs and executive drug rehabilitation treatment programs were created. Making sure that an individual is comfortable with the environment and the treatment methods they are taking part in for alcohol and drug addiction therapy is a big step towards their successful addiction recovery. At TruPath, we understand that someone in need of alcohol and drug rehab can come from any walk of life. We are here to help as many people as possible with our drug and alcohol addiction treatment programs as possible so give us a call today.

How Strong is Fentanyl and Why is it So Dangerous?

April 20, 2023June 27, 2022 by Price Allem

What Is Fentanyl?

Fentanyl drug is a synthetic opioid that was originally developed as a prescription opioid to use for severe pain management. Fentanyl has been used as a method of pain management for medical purposes including pain management for cancer patients or patients that are undergoing major surgery. Medicinally, fentanyl is administered through a fentanyl patch or as a prescription opioid. Due to the high potency of opioids present in fentanyl, there are some that begin experiencing substance abuse behaviors with fentanyl leading down a path of drug addiction. The illicit drug market began using fentanyl with other substances to increase its potency and reduce the costs of production by creating drugs that are laced with fentanyl. These varying combinations of substances have led to adverse effects on the users and, in some cases, lead to lethal doses by a drug overdose.

Signs and Symptoms of Drug and Alcohol Overdose

April 11, 2023June 24, 2022 by Price Allem

Signs and Symptoms of Drug or Alcohol Overdose

Many symptoms of drug overdose occur along with less observable signs and symptoms such as an increase in body temperature, abdominal pain, chest pain, or mental symptoms. The ones listed below are 6 primary symptoms of overdose on drugs that are quicker to identify and are strong indications that someone is in immediate danger of overdose death and needs a medical professional.

Unresponsive to Stimuli: This symptom is more commonly seen in users of depressant substances such as opioids, benzodiazepines, and even alcohol. The individual may appear to be awake, but they will not respond to noise, being shaken, or feeling pain.
Loss of Consciousness: Total loss of consciousness is different from “passing out” from alcohol addiction or during the crash that follows substance abuse. This symptom can be seen in any overdose victims using any type of substance, depressant or stimulant, although it is more common and dangerous in those with opioid overdose due to the risk of asphyxiation after vomiting. People who are overdosing and unconscious will not respond to movement or pain at all.
Hyperventilation, Difficulty Breathing, or Complete Respiratory Arrest: Changes in breathing are a significant indication that someone is in danger of overdose. On stimulant substances such as cocaine, methamphetamines, or MDMA, hyperventilation accompanies an increased heart rate and there is a chance of heart attack or cardiac arrest. On depressant substances, the user may have shallow or ragged breathing due to abdominal pain or nausea and vomiting, so the airway is not clear or they are experiencing shutdown in multiple areas of the body like loss of consciousness or stopped heart rate.
Cold and/or Blue-Tinged Skin: Lowered body temperature or skin that is beginning to turn purple or blue are signs of an overdose because your body is not getting enough oxygen due to difficulty breathing or slowed heart rate. This will be most evident around the eyes and mouth or the fingertips of overdose victims.
Seizures or Convulsions: Anyone under the influence of an illicit drug, prescription drug, or alcohol who begins seizing or convulsing is almost certainly overdosing. Do not try to restrain them, make sure their airway is clear, try to put something under their head like a towel, jacket, or blanket to lessen impacts on the ground, and clear the space around them so they do not hurt themselves or others in the process.
Cardiovascular Symptoms: These symptoms are harder to physically observe and are usually occurring while someone is unconscious or unresponsive, but significantly high or low heart rate or blood pressure, chest pain, and of course a heart attack or stroke are strong signs of an overdose.

What To Do During a Drug Overdose

The first step if you are witnessing a drug overdose is to seek medical intervention and call 911 as soon as possible. If you are alone and want or need to directly help the individual as soon as possible, start the call and place the phone nearby on speaker so you can talk and have your hands free to carry out any medical advice given over the phone.

Naloxone is an opioid overdose antidote that blocks the opioid receptors and can reverse an overdose. It is available without a prescription at all major pharmacies in America and people have begun to carry it with them if they are going to participate in illegal drug use or be around other participants because so many street drugs are laced with fentanyl and it is also effective against opioid prescription medications that cause accidental overdoses.

Administering Naloxone to overdose victims on something other than an opioid substance will not help them but it also won’t harm them so it is ok to try as a first step if you don’t know what illegal drug they took. Simply place the tip of the bottle into the person’s nose and press the pump to release the entire dose, then begin CPR. If there is no response, doses should be given every 3 minutes in alternating nostrils until help arrives.

If you do not have Naloxone or the person is overdosing on stimulants, check to see if they are breathing. If they are, place them on their side in the recovery position with one hand under their head and the leg they aren’t laying on bent to keep them from rolling. This will keep their airway clear and decrease their chances of choking.

If they are not breathing, begin chest compressions and administer 2 breaths every 30 compressions. Continue giving CPR and follow all other medical advice given by your 911 operator while you wait for a medical professional to arrive.

Why Is It Important to Recognize Overdose?

It’s understandable for many people to believe that the risk of drug overdose does not apply to them if they personally don’t know anyone struggling with drug addictions, but this is not the case. Unfortunately, drug overdose is not an isolated issue and habitual substance abusers such as those struggling with heroin addiction are not the only ones with risk factors. Due to the availability of strong prescription medications and the recent occurrence of fentanyl in almost every illicit drug available to first-time users, the risk of a drug overdose is higher than ever.

Long Term Side Effects of Opioids

February 13, 2023June 22, 2022 by Price Allem

Opioid use disorder has become a major problem across the United States over the past two decades. Prescription opioids administered to American pain sufferers, while seen initially as a saving grace for many, have become an issue that federal, state, and local governments have all had to address. Although very useful for pain management, prescription synthetic opioids come with a number of possible dangers. Additionally, illicit opioids like heroin still remain on the drug scene and are sometimes combined with opioids used for the treatment of chronic pain.

What Happens to Your Body When You Quit Drinking?

June 23, 2022June 20, 2022 by Price Allem

What to Expect from Your Body When You Quit Drinking Alcohol

After living with an active alcohol addiction and deciding that is time to stop drinking alcohol, many wonder what effects it will have on your body when you stop engaging in alcohol consumption. In the initial stages, individuals will often go through a period of alcohol withdrawal that can produce varying levels of severity in withdrawal symptoms. After your body has gone through the alcohol withdrawal phase, you will begin to feel the health benefits of quitting alcohol within your physical, emotional, and mental health.

What Does Meth Look Like?

June 23, 2022June 17, 2022 by Price Allem

Concerned a Loved One Might be Using Meth?

We want the best for our loved ones and would do anything we can to make sure that our loved ones are safe and out of harm’s way. When you begin to suspect that a loved one may be battling a problem with substance abuse, it can be hard to know what signs to look for and the steps you should take to get them the help that they need to overcome the powerful grip of drug addiction.

The highly addictive substance of crystal methamphetamine has become one of the most frequently used substances and the destruction it can cause within a meth abusers’ life is deeply concerning. If you have noticed that your loved one is beginning to display signs of drug abuse and you are worried about the potential of dangerous consequences that can affect people who are using crystal meth, you want to know the resources available for substance abuse treatment. At TruPath, we offer meth users an addiction treatment center that will support in healing from the deep-rooted emotions associated with your drug abuse while supporting patients in overcoming addiction through evidence-based therapy methods.

Does Addiction Change the Brain?

April 20, 2023June 15, 2022 by Price Allem

How Addiction Affects the Brain

Addiction is a complex disease of the brain that causes the brain’s reward system to intensely crave a substance (drug addiction or alcohol addiction) or behavior (gambling addiction, internet addiction, or sex addiction), causing an inability to stop using the substance. Obsession starts to take over, and soon the person finds they are prioritizing their drug or alcohol use disorder over work, family, social activities, hobbies, and other activities. There is a preoccupation with planning, using, and recovering from the addiction. There is a lack of self-control and a lack of concern for the consequences of their actions in pursuit of the “reward” pathway.

What are the Early Signs of Alcoholism?

April 19, 2023June 10, 2022 by Price Allem

What is Considered Alcoholism versus Casual Drinking?

As per the national institute on alcohol abuse and Addiction, alcoholism is characterized by an individual engaging in heavy drinking or binge drinking behaviors that have begun to create negative consequences within your day-to-day life. If an individual living with an alcohol addiction attempts to stop their alcohol consumption, they will experience severe alcohol withdrawal symptoms along with intense alcohol cravings. These uncomfortable and negative consequences of alcohol addiction create the cycle of substance abuse as individuals attempt to mitigate the negative withdrawal symptoms with the use of alcohol.