Addiction & Recovery For Dummies

Title Page
Copyright Page
Table of Contents
Introduction
About This Book
Foolish Assumptions
Icons Used in This Book
Beyond the Book
Where to Go from Here
Part 1 The Hole in the Heart: Detecting Addiction
Chapter 1 Addiction: What Is It?
Defining Substance Use, Abuse, and Addiction
Understanding what addiction is
Mental dependence
Physical dependence
The difference between abuse and dependence
Medical criteria for substance dependence
Medical criteria for substance abuse
Nonsubstance or behavioral addictions
Your personal definition of addiction
Case study: Is Joe abusing marijuana?
Case study: Is Mark abusing marijuana?
The answer
The Role of Experimentation
Assessing Your Addiction Risk
Warning signs of addiction
A comment for families and friends of the addicted person
Exploring Methods and Models of Treatment
Treatment centers and professional help
Things to consider when deciding on your treatment
The twelve-step program and other self-help approaches
The Ins and Outs of Recovery
Overcoming fears and obstacles to recovery
What to do if you slip
How to relate to family, friends, and colleagues
What family and friends can do
Chapter 2 Substance Use, Substance Abuse, and Addiction
The Basics of How Substances of Abuse Work
The Drug Lineup
Marijuana (THC)
Sedatives and tranquilizers
Alcohol
Pharmaceutical sedatives
Barbiturates
Stimulants
Amphetamines
Cocaine
Psychedelics
Opiates and narcotics
Dissociative anesthetics
Anti-anxiety and antidepressant drugs
Volatile hydrocarbons (inhalants)
Solvents
Gases
Nitrates/poppers
Steroids
Chapter 3 Behavioral Addictions: Addictions Without Substances
Some General Advice
Compulsive Gambling
Three phases of compulsive gambling
Winning
Losing
Desperation
The impact of compulsive gambling
It’s about money
It isn’t about money
Sex and Pornography
Pornography addiction
Sex addiction
Love addiction
Computer Games and the Internet
Food Addiction
Eating too much
Eating too little
Work Addiction
Do I have a problem?
How work addiction starts
Kicking the habit when everyone is asking for more
Chapter 4 Dancing with the Tiger: The Risks of Experimenting
Going with the Flow: Peer Pressure and Other Influences
Partying and club drugs
Hooking up
“I didn’t know what I was doing”
Rebellion and experimentation
The Risks of Experimentation and Addiction
Drinking, drugging, and driving
Unsafe sexual behavior
The sex trade
Crime
Feeding the habit
Impulsive crimes under the influence
Anger and aggression
Child abuse and neglect
Health risks
The Costs of Addiction to Families
The blame game
The consequences to you and your family
Part 2 Taking Those First Steps
Chapter 5 Recognizing Addiction in Yourself and Others
Am I at Risk?
Genetics: Addiction Across Generations
Determining who’s susceptible
Applying your family history
How a Body Gets Addicted
From the mind out
From the body in
What drugs are the most addictive?
Waking Up to Your Own Addiction
Starting with self-observation
Taking a quick self-assessment
Breaking down the types of addictions
Alcohol
Street drugs
Prescription drugs
Gambling
Computer games
Eating
Sex
Work
Perceiving Addiction in a Loved One
Case study: Jack and his daughter
Recognizing the warning signs
Chapter 6 Assessing Your Readiness: Do You Need Help Now?
Understanding Your Role as the Client
Assessing the Options
Avoiding hopelessness
Choosing what’s right for you
Matching Your Characteristics to Treatment Options
Client characteristics
Demographics
Age and extent of addiction
The dual diagnosis factor
Treatment characteristics
Making a treatment choice
Deciding When to Start
Cost-benefit analysis of seeking help
Self-assessing your readiness for change now
Chapter 7 Quitting: Easy to Say, Hard to Do
Successful Quitting
Becoming Aware of Your Triggers
External triggers
Internal triggers
Combination triggers
Time as a trigger
Your identity as a trigger
The ease of availability as a trigger
Magical thinking
Increasing Your Motivation to Change
Factors That Affect Your Ability to Find Addiction Freedom
Geographical change
A change of job
New relationships
Codependency with a partner
A recovering partner
Part 3 Examining Treatment Approaches
Chapter 8 Treatment Choices
Different Viewpoints on Addiction
The moral dimension
The disease perspective
The pharmacological perspective
Thinking your way free: The cognitive-behavioral perspective
Addictions as a bad habit: The learning models
The psychodynamic perspective
The biopsychosocial perspective
Combination Treatments
The twelve-step treatments and other variants of the AA model
Treatments based on cognitive behavioral, psychodynamic, and learning methods
The cognitive-behavioral model approach to treatment
The psychodynamic approach to treatment
The learning model approach to treatment
Chapter 9 Reviewing Inpatient and Outpatient Treatment Options
Interventions: Breaking Through Denial and Fear
How an intervention works
Intervention principles
Choosing an interventionist
Residential Versus Outpatient Care: Deciding What’s Best for You
Outpatient Treatment
Psychotherapy
Controlled drinking
How controlled drinking works
Is controlled drinking for you?
Risk reduction
Tips on seeking outpatient professional help
Therapist or counselor?
Credentials
The therapeutic alliance
Residential or Inpatient Treatment
The stages of inpatient treatment
It’s voluntary
The rules of rehab
How long is long enough?
Aftercare
Fear of the real world
Telephone counseling
The Minnesota Model
Relapse Prevention
Therapeutic Communities and Sober Living
How therapeutic communities work
A focus on rehabilitation
How effective are therapeutic communities?
Who obtains treatment from a therapeutic community?
How long should you stay in treatment in a therapeutic community?
Andrew’s Choice: A True Story of Getting into Treatment and Achieving Success
How things began
One day in rehab
Chapter 10 Treating Physical Dependence
Understanding Your Body’s Reactions to Drugs
Detoxification: What Is It, and How Does It Work?
The goals of detox
The process: In the body
The process: In the mind
Knowing What to Expect with Detoxification Treatments
Detox from alcohol and other sedatives/hypnotics
Alcohol
Benzodiazepines
Detox from stimulants such as cocaine and amphetamines
Detox from opiates
Detox from marijuana
Detox from inhalants/solvents
Medications That May Help
Medications for alcohol problems
Medications for treating benzodiazepine withdrawal
Medications for treating opiate addiction
Medications for stimulant abuse
Maintenance medications and craving reducers
Naltrexone
Antabuse (disulfiram)
Campral
Buprenorphine
Methadone Treatment
What is methadone?
Methadone myths
Who should choose methadone treatment?
Does it work?
Chapter 11 Twelve-Step Programs
Types of Twelve-Step Programs
The Actual Twelve Steps
Working Your Program
Hitting bottom and working toward recovery — one day at a time
Discovering spirituality
Using affirmations
Deciding Whether a Twelve-Step Program Is Right for You
Problems with Twelve-Step Programs
What the critics say
Is a twelve-step program enough?
Chapter 12 Joining Self-Help and Support Groups
Secular Organizations for Sobriety and Save Our Selves (SOS)
The SOS approach
Joining an SOS group
Self-Management and Recovery Training: SMART
The SMART approach
Joining SMART
Women for Sobriety (WFS)
The WFS approach
Joining WFS
Religious Organizations
Chapter 13 Psychedelic Therapies and Other Alternative Treatments
Psychedelics
Acupuncture
Correlational research
Clinical trials
Ibogaine
How ibogaine may work
Ibogaine research
Ketamine
Nutritional Therapy
Addictions and poor nutrition
What is good nutrition?
Macrobiotic diets
Macrobiotic diets and substance addiction
The research on macrobiotic diets as an aid to substance abuse treatment
Meditation
Harm-Reduction Approaches
Chapter 14 Teen Treatment
Why Alcohol and Drugs Are More Destructive When You’re Young
It’s easier to damage a growing brain
Teens have a tougher time these days
What to Do When You Suspect Substance Abuse in a Loved One
Advice for parents
Advice for good friends
A word about denial
Be prepared for a long haul to a healthy recovery
Making the investment in teen treatment
Getting Treatment as a Teen
Asking for help: Any time is a good time
Finding a counselor
Relating to your counselor
Counseling in group programs
Residential treatment: Group and individual treatments
Harm reduction programs for youth
Remembering That Slips Aren’t Freefalls
Part 4 Life in Recovery
Chapter 15 Overcoming Barriers to Recovery
Be Prepared: The First Step
Building Your Skills for Recovery
Pacing: Taking Things One Step at a Time
If you’re going too fast, slow down
If you’re bogged down, pick up the pace
Pacing with time
Pacing with activities
Building Resilience
Maintain personal hygiene
Explore your senses
Exercise
Handling Your Everyday Fears
The work of worry
Death and dying
Abandonment
Handling Your Fears about Recovery
Short-term fears: Withdrawal problems
Long-term fears
Boredom
Discomfort
Helplessness
Avoiding Self-Anger: A Slippery Slope to Relapse
Putting judgments on hold
Recognizing negative moods
Assessing your sadness
Assessing your anxiety
Assessing your anger
Assessing your guilt and shame
Recognizing stressful situations
Taking Action: Storming the Barricades
Taking action to commit to change
Taking action against triggers that increase cravings
Taking action to build self-confidence
Taking action against negative moods
Chapter 16 Handling Slips and Relapse
Slips Versus Relapse: What’s the Difference?
Why Relapse Happens
You can almost count on it
Triggers for relapse and what to do about them
High-risk situations and their remedies
The good news: Relapse is preventable
Learning from Relapse
Examining your relapse
Doing things differently next time
Getting Your Balance Back
Medications may help
Getting back on track
Deciding whether you need some extra help
Chapter 17 Handling Work and Family During Recovery
Dealing with Relationships During Recovery
Dealing with positive changes
Dealing with negative changes
Dealing with Family Problems
Do the right thing: Be a good role model
How families are affected by addiction
Making positive changes in family relationships
Solving family problems by changing norms
Making long-term plans for positive change
Dealing with Work Problems
Scenario one: You were hardworking to begin with
Scenario two: You lose your job due to your addiction
Dealing with Financial Problems
Relapses, Restarts, and How They Affect Your Family
Coming to terms with a relapse
Restarting with the help of your family
Chapter 18 For Families and Friends: Ways to Make a Difference
Breaking Through Denial and Codependency
Overcoming denial
Dealing with resistance
“It’s none of your business”
“You’re breaking up the family”
Preparing for Change
Helping Your Loved One Follow Through
Recognizing negative emotions
Empathizing: “I feel your pain”
Supporting Change over the Long-Term
The six weeks of helping
Expecting and getting through relapse
The Ups and Downs of Change
Dropping expectations and falsely positive images
Turning downs into ups
Sustaining Optimism and Support in Your Family
Leaving fantasy-land to find realistic optimism
Being deserving of victory and success
Part 5 The Part of Tens
Chapter 19 Ten Ways to Help a Friend or Loved One
Talk Things Over Truthfully While You Listen Attentively
Recognize the Telltale Signs of Addiction
Confront Denial
Help Get Treatment
Let Go of Your Need to Control the Situation
Hold Criticism at Bay
Offer Balanced Support
Understand What You’re Fighting
Remain Optimistic
Know What to Do When Treatment Efforts Fail
Chapter 20 More Than Ten Self-Help Resources
Self-Help Books for Problems Related to Addictions
Self-Help Websites for Managing Addictions
Websites for Treatment Models
Websites for Families and Teens
Websites for Problems Related to Addictions
Online Lectures on Addiction-Related Topics
Treatment Centers
Index
EULA