Stigma,
This past weekend I was at an event with over a few thousand people in attendance. I had a booth and stayed to help answer questions regarding my work and my office. (just imagine – I am a mental health professional specialized in substance use disorder!) I had a few good laughs with my sister, and this is how I try to deal with the stigma which is attached to my work.

I had several people who dropped my flyers as soon as they read the word addiction on it. A few people who took a picture of my banner but never approached the table. And a few people who argued with me that they are healthy, and others who mentioned that they have no history of mental illness in their whole family. And the rest never approached my table. Stigma!

Stigma is often a negative mindset in relation to a situation. Dr. K. slater-Pedneault defines it as “Stigma is a perceived negative attribute that causes someone to devalue or think less of the whole person.” My experience with talking to individuals with mental illness and stigma is that they become victims to the societal stigma around their disorder. One client so beautifully put it “I have a lot more on my plate than just my disorder – I can’t escape the stigma of my addiction.” As a mental health professional, I often feel that the stigma of mental illness is as bad as the symptoms of the disorder because at the end of the day the stigma comes down to discrimination and hate.

When we make people feel diminished, devalued and fearful because of the negative attitudes we hold towards them due to their psychological disorders, we devalue the attempt and the courage it takes on their part to reach out for help.

As my sister was stunned by the reaction of people toward my booth; I jokingly told her that well you know, addiction is contagious! If you approach the table, you may just get infected ;-)!

​Samar Tehrani

Codependency a common factor in addicted families
Let's just get through it becomes a need. You’re a juggler and you assume this role perfectly. You can clean up chaos, dysfunction, and disorder within the family, you manage endless family incidents, and while you are moving you feel that life is ok. And life falls in place most of the time, so you think! You’ve got a handle on all situations.
If your husband/wife would just stop drinking, your house would become a home. His/her children need their father/mother, the are growing up. It’s easy: he/she should just stop drinking. You take action, both lovingly and in an angry manner. But your husband/wife doesn’t listen – he/she continues. So you lash out. Before you know it private arguments become school counselor sessions, explanations to the police and involvement of those you were trying to keep the issue from. However, you can take care of that, too – so you feel!
Perhaps the above scenarios are similar to your life?
Codependency has been defined as a dysfunctional style of relating to others. Codependency symptoms feel overwhelming, and those who suffer from it are incapable of taking care of themselves because they are constantly trying to fix and handle issues. Codependents make unsuccessful attempts to change circumstances in their surroundings. They may feel that money can cure substance abuse, or long talks prevent psychological illness. A new car, computer, or a new home will change a person’s outlook and will get them to do what the codependent feels are the correct way of life. The challenge for a codependent is believing their means, or their personal motivation will encourage their loved ones to change. They create emotional intimacy inappropriately, parental child best friendships, disassociating from their community and turning all interaction inwards within the family. Regardless of their attempts for success, codependents are self-destructing, exhausted, and feel defeated; and most often don’t feel that they need help. Staying in their skin seems impossible and their symptoms escalate and frequently leads to families splitting. Often codependents fall sick due to lack of self-care. Recognizing that overcoming codependency requires professional help is essential.
In order to address codependency in treatment, it is essential to address self-care, self-awareness, as well as co-occurring substance abuse, and other mental health disorders such as depression disorders and anxiety disorders. Recognizing that healing can start with oneself is half the work. 
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Samar Tehrani

 Many people do not realize they are using alcohol as a crutch until it reaches the point of addiction. The desire for a glass of wine every night to ease stress can become a dependence. In the past few decades, more and more women are turning into alcoholics and developing drinking patterns very similar to men. This is concerning, considering a female’s physiological makeup cannot tolerate alcohol in the same way that a male can. “Women are more susceptible to alcohol’s effects, largely because they have lower body mass, and in particular less water to disperse the alcohol through their bodies” (Lissner, 2017). In turn, alcohol reacts harshly with their bodies and the negative long-term effects from the substance develop at an accelerated rate.
 Well, how do you know if your nightly glass of wine is turning into a real problem? Ask yourself these questions:
Do you no longer enjoy it in a typical way?
Can you not control it anymore, for example, do you experience great distress if you run out of wine for the night?
Are the cravings so intense that it distracts you from the normality of life?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you may need to get help.
Call Helix Counseling and Coaching Services today at (949) 214-4018 to schedule your first appointment. Even if you think your alcohol/wine dependence is not that strong, it is better to stop it before it gets worse. 

The Washington Post "Women Increasingly at Risk of Addiction?"

In the past five years, the number of millennials using heroin has risen to great amounts. Since oxycodone is now too expensive at $80 a pill, individuals addicted to it are looking for their next cheapest high. In Southern California, especially near beach cities, drug dealers will now go up to teenagers and offer them a bag of heroin for only $5. It is no longer the criminals or troubled youths using this drug. It can be the boy-next-door or the student athlete. Heroin is affecting all members of the young adult community.
            “Overall, emergency department visits among heroin users of all ages increased, but the sharpest was among the state’s young adults. About 1,500 emergency department visits by California’s millennials poisoned by heroin were logged in 2015 compared with fewer than 1,000 in 2012” (Abram, 2017). How do we make this problem go away? The rate at which teenagers and young adults are overdosing from heroin is unacceptable. The solution can be awareness, advocacy and education. Informing parents to pay more attention to their children’s lives by knowing who they are hanging out with outside of the home. Teaching millennial about the severity of the drug and awareness so it is not used as an escape from their problems. Ridding the stigma to get appropriate treatment for the problem.
            If you are addicted to heroin and would like to get treatment, call Helix at (949) 214-4018. You have the option to change the course of your life for the better. It is never too late.
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 Mercury News "Use Fuels Surge of ER Visits Among California Millennials"
 

Have you ever thought about what it feels like to be an addict. Or have you ever tried to empathize with a person dealing with addiction? The experience of addiction is described so differently by different individuals. One in particular which caught my attention is “Addiction is like having an elephant on your chest that won’t stand up until you’re ready to stand up with it” (Choices, 2015, p. 13). It is up to you to make a choice to overcome your Substance Use Disorder and get on the road to recovery. A boy named Andrew, who is now 19, is completely sober, but he was not always that way. He started doing drugs when he was 12 with marijuana, and in one year, it escalated to shooting heroin. He would wake up with aches all over and cold sweats until he got his fix with the drug. Addiction is so hard to beat; it consumes a persons whole life.
One of the first step into escaping the addiction lifestyle after recognizing the problem is to eliminate your negative influences. If the drug is always at hand and staring at you in the face, then of course you will continue to abuse it. Andrew got his wake-up call when he overdosed at age 14. In two years, heroin involved deaths nearly doubled. He was lucky to have survived and to understand that he needed to make drastic changes to his life. Now, that time in Andrew’s life is the ultimate nightmare, and he never wants to go back to it.
This one of many hopeful stories. Recovery and staying sober is possible, having the courage to receive help and incorporating professional help. Call Helix today at (949) 214-4018 to set up an appointment and ultimately, change your life for the better.

Choices "The heroin epidemic" 

As the years go by, more Americans die from drug overdoses than from car crashes. Most of these incidents are the results of opioid abuse. President Obama released a proclamation in 2016 regarding this epidemic in and how we should spread awareness. He said, “During Prescription Opioid and Heroin Epidemic Awareness Week, we pause to remember all those we have lost to opioid use disorder, we stand with the courageous individuals in recovery, and we recognize the importance of raising awareness of this epidemic” (Obama, 2016, p. 1). The negative stigma surrounding addiction has prevented many people from receiving the proper help they need for recovery. With awareness, the shame revolving around the subject with lessen, and hopefully, the number of deaths with dwindle to lower numbers.
            “Opioid use disorder, or addiction to prescription opioids or heroin, is a disease that touches too many of our communities—big and small, urban and rural—and devastates families, all while straining the capacity of law enforcement and the health care system” (Obama, 2016, p. 1). People live in ignorance and expect those with the disease to diagnose themselves; however, that is actually quite difficult to do on your own. People with Substance Use Disorder, specifically abusing prescription opioids or heroin, need a strong support system. One of Obama initiative was to increase access to Naxolone, which is an overdose reversal drug. Hopefully, Initiative such as this will allow people to get on the path to recovery.
            Giving the appropriate interventions, laws and advocacies the epidemic which as a nation we have been faced with has a chance to subside. 

Federal Register "Proclamation 9499—Prescription Opioid and Heroin Epidemic Awareness Week, 2016"

The number of women with Substance Abuse Disorder is higher than ever before. In a study conducted through University of Padova in Italy, the researchers discovered a correlation between addicted women and those suffering from intimate partner violence. Whether the substance use is a coping mechanism or cause for the abuse, the two issues together create a lot of problems. “In particular, what appears as the most relevant characteristic that these phenomena share is the increasing impact they have on mental, physical, and emotional individuals’ health and all those consequences which they may generate inside the social and economic network” (Simonelli, Pasquali, & De Palo, 2014, p. 1). Both are leading to higher mortality rates and instability of the structures of society.
Women who are abused by their partners are more likely to develop mental illnesses such as anxiety or depression. Therefore, if they have an addiction, then women tend to turn to mental health facilities rather than substance abuse rehabilitation centers to overcome their disease. The types of substances typically abused by genders are different as well. Addicted women are more likely to use pharmaceutical drugs whereas addicted men often use cocaine. Despite these gendered differences, intimate partner violence and substance abuse needs to stop. Even if the two are existing in the same person, it is only more prevalent for them to get help. There are always options.
Helix Counseling and Coaching Services provides an outlet, especially if you are suffering from both previously mentioned issues. You are not alone, and recovery is possible. Calling us at (949) 214-4018.
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European Journal of Psychotraumatology "Intimate Partner Violence and Drug-Addicted Women: From Explicative Models to Gender-Oriented Treatments"

There are options when dealing with Substance Abuse Disorder. There are many different programs and facilities that can assist with your road to recovery. While it may not always be the easiest path, have faith, for nothing is impossible. Two popular sources of help are residential treatment and outpatient treatment. Residential rehabilitation is where a patient is under 24-hour care being provided with a range of services to help with his or her addiction. From medical detox to individual therapy, the main goal is recovery. Outpatient rehabilitation is geared towards those with a milder condition. A patient will typically spend 10-12 hours per week in the facility and will become educated on his or her disorder while learning how to cope with it for everyday life. The main concern is prevention of relapse.
            Did you know that the percentage of females being treated for Substance Abuse Disorder is on the rise? There is a common trend found within the type of women entering residential treatment and the type of women entering outpatient treatment. “Women entering long-term residential treatment programs tend to be younger, have lower levels of education and employment, have higher levels of involvement with the criminal justice system and have multiple previous treatment episodes as compared to women entering outpatient treatment (Wechsberg, Craddock, & Hubbard, 1998).” While this may seem irrelevant, it can actually be influential for improvement. Before entering these programs, it would be beneficial for women to be aware the social networks they are getting themselves into for rehabilitation. An understanding of these differences may add an important dimension to recovery from addiction, and may be harnessed to regulate treatment interventions for women in residential and outpatient treatment environments. One setting may be a healthier atmosphere and prompt a quicker success for one woman than for another.
            Now, these are only two examples of programs for rehabilitation. Helix Counseling and Coaching Services is another alternative. Make an appointment today at (914) 214-4018.
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  Addiction Research & Theory "Personal Networks of Women in Residential and Outpatient Substance Abuse Treatment"