Author Archives: James Haggerty

About James Haggerty

Experienced Chief Executive Addiction Recovery and Mental Health Professional Business professional in the Addiction Recovery and Mental Health industry for the past 26 years. Caring, compassionate and strongly motivated to make a difference in the organizations I am affiliated with and welfare of the population we serve. Currently focused on advocating, educating and developing projects leveraging evidence based, real time technology to support individuals in recovery.

How to Help Someone With SUD That Resists Rehab

What to Do When Someone Doesn’t Want to Go to Rehab for Addiction

What do you do if someone needs help, including SUD rehab, but won’t accept it? One of the best things anyone battling an SUD can do is to seek professional treatment, and most friends and family members want to aid in this process however possible. Unfortunately, getting someone the help they need and deserve isn’t always easy.

Many people with SUD refuse, at least at first, to go to rehab. This brings up a difficult question for many people in the same spot. While it’s important to remember that every person—and every situation—is unique, there are some things you can do to help both yourself and your loved one after they’ve refused treatment.

How Do You Help Someone that Doesn’t Want to Stop Drinking or Using Drugs?

Sometimes, helping someone that doesn’t want to be helped can seem impossible. Whether your loved one doesn’t want to come to terms with their substance use or they don’t understand the scope of their problem, it’s important to take some time to evaluate the actions you’re taking and whether you’re truly helping. To do so, follow these seven tips for dealing constructively with someone who is resistant to your help without overwhelming them or pushing them away.

Educate Yourself

Researching Addiction Recovery Help Online

Experiencing a situation where it seems as if someone you love is purposely hurting themselves by ignoring your attempts to help them is never easy. That’s why educating yourself on SUD is so important, both for you and your loved one.

A substance use disorder is considered a mental health disorder. SUD is incredibly complex and can occur for a variety of reasons, from a person’s genetics to a trauma response, a poor coping mechanism, or even self-medication to deal with physical or emotional pain. It’s crucial that you understand the various aspects that can contribute to your loved one’s substance use disorder so you can also do your best to understand why they are struggling. Educating yourself can help you gain a better perspective of a situation that may make you angry or hurt and allow you to understand the sort of help your loved one may need.

Identify Your Role in the Situation

Your role in a substance use disorder situation depends heavily on your relationship with the person that is struggling. It’s important to identify your role so you don’t overstep boundaries while still supporting them in the way they need. Consider how your role as someone’s partner may look different than if you were someone’s parent, child, or close friend.

For example, if you are a parent and have a child that is struggling with alcohol, you may need to decide to stop supporting them financially to slow their substance use. If you are an adult child of a person with SUD, your role may be completely different. Keep in mind, too, that every situation is incredibly different and unique to the people involved. To identify your role, ask yourself questions like whether a relationship with this person is supportive and whether your behavior may enable them. This can help you better understand what you may need to change moving forward.

Identify and Remove Enabling Behaviors

This tip is a critical follow-on tip for Tip 2—if you’ve been approaching your role with your loved one in a way that enables them to continue their substance use, it is critical to evaluate and remove your enabling behaviors. Of course, it’s natural to want to help the people that you love, especially when you know they are struggling. Unfortunately, some of the things you may do to try to help your loved ones may end up enabling them further.

For example, one of the most common enabling behaviors that family members and close friends engage in without realizing the trouble it may cause is funding their loved one’s substance misuse. However, establishing boundaries like not giving money to a close friend who is struggling with SUD can help both your loved one and you. Other enabling behaviors include making excuses for your loved one’s poor behavior, covering for them when they make mistakes, lying to/for them, doing work for them, and even providing them with their substance of choice to minimize conflict. In general, many of the things friends and family members do in an attempt to “help” loved ones with SUD wind up enabling the person to continue to use.

Establish Boundaries

Establishing boundaries is an important way to protect both you and your loved one. Boundaries are essential for any relationship and can help you ensure that you are comfortable and not taken advantage of. Sometimes, when someone is struggling with a substance use disorder, they cross boundaries, whether intentionally or unknowingly. Often, their behavior creates the need for you to establish boundaries in the first place to protect yourself.

It’s crucial that you set firm boundaries with your loved one for your health, both emotionally and physically. If you feel like you need to walk on eggshells around this person, cover or lie for them, or protect them from the consequences of their actions, it’s time for you to create boundaries. Most urgently, if you feel you are in emotional or physical danger due to your loved one’s behavior, you must create boundaries to protect yourself.

Allow Consequences to Occur

Once you establish firm boundaries between you and your loved one and stop enabling behaviors, you will likely notice that they’ve begun to experience consequences of their actions. These consequences are what so many friends and family members have been trying desperately to “help” their loved ones with SUD avoid. However, it is important for all involved to realize that nobody is immune to consequences.

Whether your loved one is fired from their job because you stopped calling in for them or they fall behind on bills without your financial help, it is critical that consequences do occur. While it may hurt to see your loved one struggling, it is also important for them to understand what their actions are doing to both themselves and others. It can be near impossible for people with an SUD to recognize how much their own actions affect others when they’re deep in active substance use. Because of this, consequences can serve as an unfortunate wake up call.

Offer Positive Support and Practice Empathy

One of the best things you can do for someone struggling with substance use disorder, especially when they say they don’t want help, is to simply offer your support. SUD can cause extreme isolation and make people feel like they are alone in their struggle. Sometimes, just offering positive support can mean the world to your loved one.

If you haven’t had conversations about these issues with your loved one before, it’s important to remember to be as empathetic as possible. It can be easy for your loved one to feel attacked and be hurt when you suggest help or insinuate that they are in the wrong. By offering positive support and letting your loved one know you’re there to help them when they’re ready, you are taking steps in the right direction.

Consider Staging an Intervention

Interventions can help your loved one more than you know. An intervention can be done with just a few close family members or someone’s entire friend group—what’s most important is effectively communicating how this person’s actions are affecting others. Using “tough love” is important during interventions because it puts responsibility on the person who has been hurting those around them and emphasizes the importance and urgency of the issue.

In many interventions, friends and family members choose to lay out boundaries and consequences for violating those boundaries. For example, you may tell a partner with SUD that you have established a boundary that involves them not being intoxicated around your children, and that they must seek treatment, or they can no longer live in the same home as the children. Then, be prepared to follow through with the consequences you’ve established. Remember, too, to remind the person how much you love and care for them, and that this is the reason you want them to seek treatment in the first place.

Addiction Rehab FAQs

When you ask a loved one to seek treatment for SUD, they may refuse. Often, refusals are based on three common themes:

  • “You can’t make me go.”
  • “Rehab doesn’t work, anyway.”
  • “I can stop on my own/I don’t need to stop.”

Q: Can You Make Someone Go to Rehab?

A: The answer to this question varies from state to state, as well as from person to person. In some cases, you can send people to rehab involuntarily. This can be done in a few different ways. If you are the parent or legal guardian of a minor under the age of 18, you have the right to make legal decisions regarding their health and well-being. In most states, this also allows you to send your child to rehab for a substance use disorder.

If your loved one is over the age of 18 however, it is much more difficult to try to commit them to treatment without their consent. Some states allow family members to send their loved ones to rehab through a process called involuntary commitment. Involuntary commitment is legal in 37 states and can occur if a person demonstrates that they are unable to take care of themselves, are a threat to themselves or others, or are neglecting their life and duties. The case must usually go through a court to be approved before a person is committed. The state of Maryland does not have outpatient commitment laws and you cannot use involuntary commitment legislation to try and force someone into rehab if they don’t want to go.

One of the only other ways someone can involuntarily be sent to rehab is via a drug court order. For example, this situation can occur when a person is taken into custody for possession, is willing to plead guilty to the nonviolent crime, and accepts rehab in lieu of other penalties. However, this method only works for some substance use disorders and isn’t helpful for people struggling with alcohol.

Q: What Percentage of Users Relapse After Rehab?

A: Some sources claim that as many as 30+ percent of alcohol users and as many as 80% of illicit drug users relapse after completing rehab. However, this statistic simply isn’t reliable, as there is no true way to document how many people relapse. Even documented relapses do not account for the type of treatment program experienced, repeat experiences in rehab, or the eventual recovery of many individuals after subsequent treatment.

In addition, for many people, relapse is a part of the recovery process. Most importantly, relapse does not mean the person has “failed.” Relapse does not erase the recovery tools and resources gained during SUD treatment and should not be a reason to avoid going to rehab.

Q: Can People Stop Using Substances on Their Own?

A: When someone with SUD ceases use of that substance on their own, they will almost inevitably experience physical and mental withdrawals. These are extremely difficult to manage alone, without medical intervention. In some cases, as with alcohol or benzodiazepines, withdrawals can cause seizures and even become fatal.

In addition, SUD is often co-occurring with mental health disorders, trauma, and other physical health problems. For that reason, while being willing to stop using drugs or alcohol is a positive sign, it is very hard to accomplish alone. Encourage your loved one as much as possible but remember that it is critical they stay safe while curbing substance use.

Getting the Help Loved Ones Deserve

Getting Loved One Addiction Support

If you know someone in need of substance use disorder treatment, find them help as soon as possible. When that time comes, it’s natural to want to help in whatever way you can. Whether you’re a family member, friend, or partner of someone with SUD, worrying about someone you love can be both emotional and exhausting.

Social Media Use While in Drug and Alcohol Recovery

Social Media Use While in Drug and Alcohol Recovery

Recovering from an addiction is a complicated process that requires dedication and commitment for long-term, positive effects. It may be obvious that routines and lifestyles must be changed for your recovery to be successful. However, an area that you may not have considered changing is your social media use.

Unfortunately, there is a significant link between social media use and substance abuse addiction. Ironically, social media use is also linked to substance abuse recovery. It’s important to fully understand these links so you can start working on your recovery with fewer obstacles.

How Are Social Media and Addiction Linked?

The link between social media and addiction may not be obvious to you. Things like cute cat videos on social media do not have ties to substance abuse and addiction; however, there are still many connections between the two.

Glamorization and Normalization

Social media tends to glamorize drug and alcohol use. People can easily share photos and posts showing alcohol and drug use, making these activities appear fun, wild, and interesting. Though the average person’s post will not reach many people, celebrity posts create a lot of interaction and widespread viewing. Snoop Dog, Wiz, Khalifa, Drake, the Kardashians, Nina Dobrev, Cara Delevingne, and many other celebrities have photos of alcohol or drugs on their social media platforms that are followed by millions of people.

This effect can make people more likely to try commonly abused substances, which can then result in developing addictions. This glamorization is even more significant for teenagers, as roughly 81% of teens aged 12 to 17 use social media, much higher than the same figure for adults (67%). Their still-forming brains are more likely to be affected by what they see on social media, and they are more easily influenced into participating, either to impress peers or for attention.

Ease of Access

As mentioned, a vast portion of the world has access to social media. Therefore, social media makes a lot of things easily accessible to the public that are not normally so prevalent. Social media has been used to connect dealers with both current and potential customers. Substance dealers can use social media platforms to contact purchasers and reach a wider audience.

Location-based platforms like dating apps and Instagram make connecting dealers and those in their areas interested in buying the substances quite simple. Though the apps claim they attempt to prevent this use of their platforms, they are not effective at monitoring and shutting down violators.

Mental Health Impacts of Social MediaMental Health Impacts

For some people, there is a link between social media and poor mental health. Most people only post positive aspects and filtered versions of their life, which can cause others to experience dissatisfaction with their own lives. This can spiral into sadness, depression, and isolation. These emotions may lead people to turn to substance abuse, which they’ve seen glamorized in other social media posts, to cope with their struggling mental health.

This is an important connection, as about half of individuals who develop substance abuse disorders will also have mental health disorders. This research also suggests that over 60% of adolescents in community-based substance use disorder treatment programs meet the criteria for mental illnesses.

Social Media as an Addiction

Finally, a major link between addiction and social media is the fact that it is possible to develop an addiction to social media itself. All addiction processes alter brain chemistry and damage reward pathways. A healthy reward pathway is activated when we experience something rewarding, winning a game, eating tasty food, or even having sex. At this point, dopamine is released, causing a positive emotional rush. This reward pathway intends to drive humans toward stimuli or behaviors that increase fitness and survival, while also driving them away from harmful stimuli that do the opposite.

Addiction damages this reward system and creates a dysfunctional reward pathway that is activated by addictive behavior. The reward system begins to function improperly, only becoming activated with the use of that substance or behavior. Further, less dopamine will be released with each experience, and the person will need to increase their exposure to get the same positive rush. This same type of damage occurs in any addiction process, whether the addiction is to drugs, gambling, sex, or even social media.

Can Social Media Worsen Addiction?

Not only can a person become addicted to social media, but social media use can also increase addictive behaviors and make an active addiction worse. A person that overuses social media is also more likely to have brain impairments like those seen with a clinical addiction. Decision-making skills are decreased, and heavy social media users are more prone to poor choices.

Since social media addiction affects the brain’s reward system, a person may search for new ways to achieve a dopamine rush. Since their decision-making skills are impaired, some may turn to drugs to experience the dopamine rush they are no longer experiencing with social media alone.

Social Media and Addiction Recovery

Recovering from an addiction is a massive undertaking that requires making deliberate choices and utilizing any resources. With that in mind, social media can be both a hindrance and a support to recovery, depending on how it is used. You must be able to remain vigilant about your social media use and how it is affecting you during that specific time in your recovery process.

Identifying how social media influenced you during active addiction can help you positively alter your habits. Using social media while in recovery for addiction is a delicate process and may be aided with the help of a professional. Let’s take a look at how social media can help and hurt your recovery.

Hindrances to Recovery

Social Media Hindrances to Recovery

Negative Self Image

As mentioned before, social media is full of people posting about the positives in their lives, like job promotions, relationships, and fun vacations. However, these posts often leave out all the less than glamorous parts behind the positives. A job promotion may have followed many long days at their job, a good relationship may have been found after a string of bad dates, and the vacation may have been the first one they’ve taken in many years.

Unfortunately, it is difficult to remember these negatives when confronted with post after post of other people’s lives working out well, and this can result in feelings of inadequacy, envy, and the fear of missing out (FOMO). One may choose the comfort and familiarity of their addiction instead of these negative emotions, making recovery more difficult.

Sleep Deprivation

Those that struggle with addiction are far more likely to have a sleep disorder than the general population. Disturbances in sleep patterns and cycles can increase the likelihood of relapse, as your brain and body lose out on the healing that occurs during sleep. Overusing social media can decrease the time you have available for sleep and make recovery a steeper hill to climb.

Depressing/Harmful Content

We know depression can be a significant contributor to addiction. Unfortunately, being bombarded with information that hurts your mental health while scrolling social media can further hinder recovery. In addition, social media exposes you to many more people and situations than you would experience in person. Some of these people will have bad intentions and can spread their own negative emotions to you via online interactions like cyberbullying (abusive messages, images, or posts directed at an individual). Maintaining a positive headspace will be next to impossible if you’re bombarded with negative content on your social media.

Advantages to Recovery

Family and Friends

Social media can be used to maintain contact with family and friends. Having a strong support system made up of the people that care for you is important for recovery and preventing relapse. These people can quickly provide support by liking and commenting on your content. Preventing feelings of isolation will help with the confidence it will take to follow through with recovery.

Online Recovery Forums/Groups

Social media provides access to millions of people that you will never see in person. Some of those people will have had similar experiences to yours and they may openly post about their struggles and what helped them recover. Seeing their success stories may be bolstering enough for you to aid your recovery. There are also many online groups created to offer support for those undertaking their recovery process.

These online groups offer some anonymity that may help you feel more comfortable with sharing and confiding your story in the support group. Finding support in a community is vital to lowering the chance of relapse and creating habits that will result in lifelong sobriety.

Apps Created for Recovery

Support programs have taken advantage of social media and created apps to aid with your recovery. There is an FDA-approved app for substance abuse treatment, Pear reSET-O, that offers a 90-day behavioral program for adults, available with a prescription from your doctor. There are also many different apps available without a prescription that can help track your sobriety, manage cravings, find treatment providers in your area, create an online community specifically for those going through recovery, and offer inspirational content about addiction and recovery.

Seek Addiction Treatment and Recovery

Seek Addiction Treatment and Recovery

Ultimately, treatment and recovery for addiction is a massive undertaking that frequently requires that you seek help from outside sources. A lack of support likely had a hand in the addiction, so leaning on a support system—no matter the source—may be a valuable tool to help pull you out. I believe social media can help, but it must be used correctly, in conjunction with other resources. As you can see, our addiction recovery community uses a few social media platforms, and they can be an excellent resource when used correctly.

What Is Mindfulness?

There’s More Than One Path to Mindfulness

When people think of mindfulness, they often confuse it for meditation. As a result, many picture practicing mindfulness in a quiet room, eyes closed, deep in thought. Fortunately, meditation is only one mindfulness technique. While not everyone is successful with meditation, mindfulness is a much broader practice than most people realize.

Proper mindfulness techniques can help you destress, appreciate the natural world around you, and become more compassionate towards yourself and others. With various techniques to choose from and apply to your own life, you can practice being mindful anywhere any time. The important part is that you can achieve peace. Anyone can practice mindfulness, and once you find the technique that works for you, you’ll be able to achieve multiple mindfulness benefits.

What Is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is a state in which you’re paying open and active attention to the world around you. When you practice mindfulness, you observe your thoughts without judgment or reaction, and extend the same courtesy to others by being compassionate and accepting. To be mindful is to be in the moment and at peace with what the moment brings. When you practice mindfulness, you can learn to destress and go with the flow, wherever you may be.

Meditation is, of course, the best-known mindfulness technique. This technique involves closing your eyes, focusing on your breath, and/or listening to auditory stimulations and visualizations. During meditation, you’re usually in one place for a few minutes at a time, in a state of deep concentration and thought. While meditation is the most famous mindfulness technique, it is not the only type of mindfulness. In fact, this stereotypical image of meditation is only one type of meditation, all of which fall under the practice of mindfulness.

Mindfulness meditation has been shown to help with depression and anxiety. As a part of the larger category of mindfulness, it is a very useful technique to not only begin practicing mindfulness, but also to begin discovering which other mindfulness techniques may appeal to you. Let’s explore some of the options.

A Variety of Mindfulness Techniques

The goal of a mindfulness exercise is to enter a state of relaxation and personal acceptance, all while being one with the world around you. While this may sound difficult to achieve, the truth is that there are a great many mindfulness techniques, so there’s bound to be one that clicks for you. The key is to practice your favorites, learn to accept your current mental and emotional state without judgment, and focus on the present. Here are some of the most common.

Arts and Crafts

Described as “art therapy” when it pertains to the mindful participation in art to reduce stress and improve mental health, working on art is a good way to stay present and centered on something tangible, while still being able to just let your emotions be released and embraced without suppression. Any sort of art will do, from working with clay to drawing in pencil, to all forms of painting and even coloring. Whether art therapy is done in a clinical setting with a specific format or you’re simply sketching in your free time, art therapy has been proven to decrease stress and increase the general quality of life.

The subject you choose is up to you. However, one recommendation is to create art about a place you like. Start by attempting to depict the lake you camp at, the beach you went to as a kid, the city you dream of living in, and similar. This focus can help you mentally transport to those places and the calm they produce. Creating art about things that make you happy is a good way to calm down and focus on something positive and relaxing, especially if it’s about nature.

Finding Mindfulness in Nature

Finding Mindfulness in Nature

Whether you’re going for a walk in the park, adventuring through a local hiking or forest trail, or just sleeping out under the stars for a night, enjoying the outdoors doesn’t only help you appreciate the beauty of nature; it can also be incredibly relaxing and therapeutic. Going outside can improve both your mood and your connection to the natural world. One study even found that practicing mindfulness while out in nature may enhance these already present benefits.

If you’re simply sitting down and taking it all in, this sort of nature-based mindfulness exercise can even be considered a sort of meditation. All you have to do is focus on the sensations around you; the sound of the animals, the warmth of the sun, the feeling of the breeze, the smell of the salt water—anything that you can connect with and think about. You’ll be able to enter a state of deep concentration and relax, much like with visualization-based meditation exercises.

If you’re going for a walk, however, you’ll be practicing a mindfulness technique that also involves physical activity. This strategy works for multiple reasons. First, exercise has been proven to reduce stress due to a release of endorphins and norepinephrine, chemicals that make you feel happy, euphoric, and less stressed. Second, you’re out in nature, which, as already mentioned, also improves your mood. However, to get the most mindfulness benefits out of this exercise, you need to find ways to stay present and focused on the world around you. If you’re out in nature enough that a nature walk is already routine for you, you can do this by changing your route or taking pictures.

5-4-3-2-1 Sensory Grounding

This mindfulness technique is much more portable than either art or time in nature, and can be done anywhere. That’s because by using your senses, you can ground yourself in the moment regardless of where you are. For example, if you’d like to destress on your daily bus commute to school or work, this is an exercise you can do without much time or practice required.

All you have to do is focus on 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1:

  • 5 things you see
  • 4 things you feel
  • 3 things you hear
  • 2 things you smell
  • 1 thing you taste

If you consider the bus scenario mentioned above, you may be able to focus on things like the other bus passengers, the cars outside, the music on the radio, the feel of the leather seats, and the rumble of the ground and wheels beneath you. If you’re in public, however, you might not have all of your senses available to you. You can omit these and replace them with another sense, or tap into your sensory memories and use those.

By making use of your senses, you’re once again focusing on something tangible without judging either your surroundings or your reaction to them. This doesn’t work for people who are sensory averse, but for those willing to give it a try, you’ll be able to calm down even in an otherwise stressful moment. Better yet, the more you practice grounding in the moment regardless of your circumstances, the easier it will be to focus the next time a stressful situation presents itself. This sort of technique may even help you calm down during a panic attack, if you’re able to redirect your thoughts and accept your negative mental state.

Body Scanning

Body scanning is similar to sensory grounding, with the difference being your point of focus. Instead of noticing all the sensory stimulations that have to do with your surroundings, you’re instead focusing on your own body and how you feel. Just lie down and, starting from either your head or your toes, work your way over your body. During this process, you’re focusing on and calling attention to any pain or discomfort and, for the time being, accepting the feeling.

Mindfulness and Meditation Games

It may seem unusual, but playing games on your phone, computer, or TV can also help you destress and practice mindfulness.

Body Scanning

The calming nature of some games gives you an activity to focus on and rewards you with positive feelings for doing it right. In fact, video games have been proven to release dopamine.

In small doses, playing calming video games can make you happier while giving you a goal to focus on. In fact, there are mindfulness apps and games dedicated to helping you relax through simple, yet satisfying, gameplay. Some even feature physical effort that can further release physical tension and stress.

Apps like I Love Hue 2 and #SelfLove, as well as console video games like Animal Crossing: New Horizons are all designed to be relaxing, yet rewarding. Users experience an activity one can play for both fun and to practice mindfulness techniques in an indirect way. There’s a reason New Horizons is the best-selling Animal Crossing game since the franchise began. It was released at the beginning of the pandemic, so people who were both stuck inside and stressed by the virus had an easy, fun outlet to relax and hang out with their friends.

Mindfulness Benefits

Mindfulness Benefits

In the short term, mindfulness exercises can be used to relax during or after a stressful situation and become more connected to the world around you. The more you practice, the easier it’ll be to ground yourself in the moment and connect with your future self. This helps to relieve temporary stress and appreciate your current surroundings and emotions.

In the long term, mindfulness exercises are used to train your body and brain to relax more effectively, accept yourself and your feelings, and extend that same focus and compassion to the environment and the people around you. The various techniques used can also teach you other skills in the meantime.

For example, mindfulness practiced by playing games has the same benefit as playing video games in general, including an increase in detection skills and strategic thoughts. Mindfulness through exercise gives you physical benefits as well as mental and emotional boosts, allowing you to become healthier all around. Mindfulness through art can help you become more creative. Each of these mindfulness endeavors can help you shift focus away from the relentless thoughts that fuel addiction and towards healthier endeavors.

While it may be hard to get into the rhythm at first, practicing proper mindfulness and meditation techniques can teach you skills you’ll use in your daily life. You’ll be able to avoid triggers, calm down, and stay centered to solve problems, become more healthy, and see things from a new perspective.

If one technique or artform doesn’t work for you, there’s no harm in trying another until you find something that helps you reach your goals. After all, this is about personal connection and acceptance just as much as it is about relaxation techniques and relapse prevention. Different exercises work for different people, so don’t be afraid to experiment until you find something that fits.

Does My Loved One Need an Intervention?

Does My Loved One Need an Intervention?

Addiction rarely only affects the person struggling with it. When drugs or alcohol become someone’s priority, friends and family can be left in the dark. This changes relationships, causing strain in some, and dependency or enabling behavior in others. As friends and family, it can feel like you have no control over the situation.

When someone is dealing with addiction, it must be their ultimate choice to get help. This ensures that they have the best chance of becoming sober and staying in recovery for the long term. While this is the loved one’s decision, there are still options for friends and family to express their concern and love in a controlled environment. This environment can also help the family seek care for themselves to better understand what they can do. We call this controlled environment an intervention.

Many of us have a preconceived notion of what an intervention is due to movies and television. While those are examples of some intervention techniques, there are many different approaches available for families dealing with addiction. An intervention can help a family come together to help their loved one and move towards a path of healing. If you worry that you’re losing a loved one to addiction, an intervention could help.

What Is the Purpose of an Intervention?

There is a misconception that someone has to hit rock bottom before they will change, as well as a varied understanding of what rock bottom truly is.1 This thinking reflects back to a mindset where addiction was a series of bad choices, not a disease that requires treatment.2 We now have a better understanding of the way addiction truly works, and why care and compassion can go much further than punishment. An intervention is an opportunity for friends and family to advocate for recovery and express their love and concern for a person struggling with addiction. The hope is that through this process, the loved one will seek treatment.

So, what is an example of an intervention? An intervention is a chance to interrupt a person’s destructive patterns with the help of a professional interventionist. This can become a new starting point for everyone involved.  There are different models an interventionist may choose to follow, including the Johnson Model, the ARISE Intervention Model, and the Love First Model. These methods share the same goal of healing the family system and helping your loved one accept treatment.

What Does an Interventionist Do?

The interventionist is the person who leads the intervention process. The requirements to be an interventionist vary — many networks require certain degrees to qualify, while other interventionists may have gotten a start via their own journey to sobriety or by working in treatment centers. When selecting your interventionist, it is important to do some research first to ensure you’ve found someone you can feel comfortable trusting through this delicate process.

The interventionist develops a team of friends and family who can help to appeal to the loved one struggling with addiction. This person is there to provide support as well as education. It can be hard to understand that addiction is a disease, especially when dealing with emotional distress as well. As a result, the interventionist also provides guidance, keeping the intervention on track and positive. This person can then help to determine the best aftercare options for the individual.

When Is the Best Time for an Intervention?

Addiction is a chronic disease that involves compulsive drug or alcohol use, despite knowing the negative consequences.3 In many situations a person may be self-medicating through their addiction and may not even be aware that they have a problem. As such, there is no true “best time” for an intervention. In general, when you or other family members start to notice that your loved one can’t control their issue, and they have already stated they wouldn’t want help or think they don’t have a problem, this could be an ideal time for an intervention.

You can look for some of the common warning signs someone is dealing with an addiction problem, such as losing interest in normal activities and hobbies, behaving differently, or hanging with a new crowd. There are often physical symptoms too, such as weight fluctuation, tremors, bloodshot eyes, and bad breath.4

What Are the Stages of Intervention?

The exact stages of an intervention may vary depending on the method of your chosen interventionists, but most of the main stages are the same:

Find Professional Help

If you’ve decided your loved one needs an intervention, the first step is getting help. An intervention is all about support. You’ll want to contact a professional interventionist, as well as different friends and family members.

Form Your Team

There should be a core group of individuals who are organizing the intervention. This can include the interventionist, family, friends, and co-workers. It is important to be mindful of contacting others who may also be dealing with substance abuse. This can take the focus away from your loved one or give them a reason to refuse help since others involved also have addiction struggles. You will also want to keep the number of people involved to a minimum, as too many people can feel overwhelming.

Start Planning

With your core team of organizers, you can decide on the date, time, and location for the intervention to take place. You can choose somewhere neutral, or a space where you know your loved one will feel comfortable and can accommodate a group of people.

Gather Information

It is helpful to learn as much as you can about not only addiction but the resources available for both you and your loved one. An intervention is beneficial for more than just the person struggling with addiction—it is for everyone impacted by the addiction. Learn all you can about the process and programs that can provide support for everyone involved.

Create Impact Statements

Each member of the core group should develop a short impact statement to share with the loved one. This statement should be an open and honest expression of what addiction has done to the relationship with the loved one. It is important that the focus is love. The loved one should never feel personally attacked.

Offer Help

During the intervention, it is helpful to express the ways you are willing to help. This can include things like driving the person to treatment or attending support group meetings. Family therapy can help the whole family heal from the destruction of addiction. When helping, it is also important to set clear boundaries with that person in the event they decide not to seek treatment. You want to end the cycle of codependency and enabling.

Rehearse

An intervention can be a high-emotion event. Rehearsing beforehand helps you to find the rhythm of the intervention, determining speaking order and seating arrangements. This allows you to have a reliable system in place on the day of the intervention.

Follow Up

In many circumstances, interventions are successful, with your loved one willing to receive treatment.5 However, even a well-executed intervention can still end in a refusal to seek treatment. In either circumstance, it is important to follow up on the commitments and boundaries expressed in the intervention.

What Is an Example of Intervention?

What Is an Example of Intervention?

An example of an intervention would be a situation where you’ve met with an interventionist, determined your core group, and have set a time and location for the intervention. Once your loved one has arrived, you’ll first want to greet them, introducing the interventionists and inviting them to sit with you. In most situations, the interventionists will orchestrate the actual intervention proceedings.

During the intervention, friends and family will have a chance to share their impact statements. This gives them the opportunity to share with their loved ones how much that person means to them and what the addiction has done to their relationship. Once everyone has had a chance to share, the interventionist can present treatment facilities or programs the family and interventionist feel will be the best fit for that unique person.

Keep in mind, however, not all interventions operate in this way. Interventions are more of a process for the whole family than they are one single event.

How Do You Intervene With a Friend?

Whether you are looking to help a friend or a family member, the process is the same. Friends can be just as impacted by addiction as the family. In some circumstances, a person’s friends may even have a larger role in their life than their family. As a friend, you still have the right to want to see your loved one get help. You can reach out to other friends or try to contact the family of the loved one to build your core team.

Intervention Helps Everyone

An intervention may focus on the loved one who needs treatment, but the process is designed to provide help and support for everyone involved. An invention can help friends and family by providing drug and alcohol abuse education. This allows them to move past stigmas that still haunt people struggling with addiction. An intervention also helps families to learn about local resources they can access and additional care that they might also need. This creates a greater sense of unity for those participating, creating a strong united front of support for the struggling loved one.

Personalized Intervention Help

Personalized Intervention Help

If you have a loved one who is struggling with addiction, an intervention could help show them the path to recovery. This starts with finding the help and support you need to develop a successful intervention plan.

My partner, Brad Langenberg and I started A Time to Heal: Family Interventions, to offer professional and compassionate substance abuse intervention services for the family.

We know that together we can help your loved one seize their best chance for long-term help. We also know that support for the family is key. We will be with you every step of the way.

Head on over to my recovery site to learn more, take my intervention quiz and contact me to request more information about our intervention services.

 

Resources:

  1. Kirouac, M., & Witkiewitz, K. (2017). Identifying “Hitting Bottom” Among Individuals with Alcohol Problems: Development and Evaluation of the Noteworthy Aspects of Drinking Important to Recovery (NADIR). Substance use & misuse, 52(12), 1602–1615.
  2. Heilig, M., MacKillop, J., Martinez, D., Rehm, J., Leggio, L., & Vanderschuren, L. J. (2021). Addiction as a brain disease revised: why it still matters, and the need for consilience. Neuropsychopharmacology, 46(10), 1715-1723.
  3. Dennis, M., & Scott, C. K. (2007). Managing addiction as a chronic condition. Addiction Science & Clinical Practice, 4(1), 45.
  4. Pasha, A. K., Chowdhury, A., Sadiq, S., Fairbanks, J., & Sinha, S. (2020). Substance use disorders: diagnosis and management for hospitalists. Journal of community hospital internal medicine perspectives, 10(2), 117–126.
  5. Tracy, K., & Wallace, S. P. (2016). Benefits of peer support groups in the treatment of addiction. Substance abuse and rehabilitation, 7, 143.
Homelessness: A Disguised Housing Crisis?

Homelessness: A Disguised Housing Crisis?

Walk down the streets of any major U.S. city, and you’re likely to see many people who appear to be homeless. They may be sleeping in the doorways of businesses or in public parks. From the outside, it may appear that the only problem is a lack of housing. However, the problem is much more complex.

In fact, several contributing factors can lead to homelessness. It would be nice if one solution could solve all the issues, but the truth is, homelessness requires a multi-faceted approach that includes both short- and long-term solutions. With a stronger understanding of the root causes of homelessness, we can better address the problem to help those affected, restore our communities, and improve the quality of life for all Americans.

The Causes of Homelessness Are Complex

Everyone has their own opinion on the leading cause of homelessness, but there is no one correct answer. Some people believe that a lack of affordable housing is the root cause, while others think the issue is more social. The fact is, homelessness can be caused by a variety of factors, including:

  • The most common reason for homelessness is a lack of affordable housing. When people cannot afford to pay their rent or mortgage, their options for shelter are dramatically limited, especially if they are unemployed. It’s no secret that the cost of housing has been on the rise for years, and this is especially true in major cities. There is a limited supply of affordable housing in these cities, and homeless people are not the only ones who compete for it. Even families with some income can find themselves struggling to afford a place to live.
  • Poverty is also a significant contributor to homelessness. People living in poverty are often unable to make ends meet, especially when faced with additional expenses such as illness or job loss. In many cases, people living in poverty find themselves in a downward spiral, unable to afford basic necessities like food and shelter.
  • Mental illness is another major cause of homelessness. Depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia are just a few conditions that can lead to homelessness. People with mental illness often have difficulty holding down a job or accessing necessary services. As a result, they may find themselves on the streets without any support system.
  • Substance abuse is another common cause of homelessness. When people are addicted to drugs and alcohol, they may find themselves unable to hold down a job or maintain stable living arrangements. They may also have trouble accessing resources and services, making getting back on their feet even more difficult.
  • Domestic abuse is another major cause of homelessness. Victims of domestic abuse often find themselves fleeing from their homes with nowhere to go, no money in the bank, and few resources. They may be fearful for their safety and the safety of their children, making it difficult to stay in one place for very long.

What Is Being Done to Address the Problem?

addressing homelessness

The causes of homelessness are complex, so there is no single solution. However, a number of programs and initiatives are working to address the problem. Some of these include:

  • Housing assistance programs. Several government and private programs provide housing assistance to low-income families and individuals. These housing programs can help people afford a place to live, even when their income is low.
  • Mental health services. Many mental health services are available to people who need them. These services can help people with mental illness access the resources they need to maintain daily life.
  • Substance abuse treatment. Several substance abuse treatment programs are available for people struggling with addiction. These programs can help people get clean, stay sober, and reclaim their lives.
  • Domestic violence shelters. There are a number of domestic violence shelters available for victims of abuse. These shelters provide a safe place to stay, as well as access to resources and services.
The combination of these programs and initiatives has helped to decrease homelessness in recent years. However, there is still more work to be done.

What Comes First: Homelessness or Substance Abuse?

Similar to the age-old question of the chicken and the egg, there is often an ongoing debate of what comes first: homelessness or substance abuse? While there are several factors that can lead to both homelessness and addiction, there is no definitive answer to this question.

Homelessness and substance abuse often go hand in hand. In fact, many people who are homeless struggle with addiction, and many people who are addicted to drugs and alcohol are homeless. However, it is possible for someone to be homeless without being addicted, and it is possible for someone to be addicted without being homeless.

How Can Homelessness Lead to Substance Abuse?

While not everyone who is homeless struggles with addiction, there are a number of factors that can lead the homeless to substance abuse.

These include:

Stress

Stress is a major factor that can lead to both homelessness and substance abuse. People who are homeless often experience high levels of stress due to the lack of resources, safety concerns, and other factors. This stress can lead them to self-medicate with drugs and alcohol in an attempt to cope.

Lack of support

People who are homeless often lack the social and emotional support they need to get through tough times. This can lead them to turn to drugs and alcohol for comfort.

Trauma

People who have experienced trauma are also more likely to struggle with addiction. This is especially true for people who are homeless, as they may be more likely to experience trauma due to the lack of safety.

How Can Substance Abuse Lead to Homelessness?

Similar to the factors that can lead to homelessness, there are a number of factors that can lead to addiction. These include:

Mental illness

People with mental illness are more likely to struggle with addiction. This is especially true for people who don’t have access to mental health services. When a mental health issue goes untreated and unsupported, it can lead an individual to reach for drugs or alcohol as a way to cope. As time goes on, the use of substances can spiral out of control and result in addiction. And when someone is struggling with addiction, it can become difficult to maintain stable employment and housing, which ultimately leads to homelessness.

Financial Instability

Financial instability is another common factor that leads to addiction. When people are struggling to make ends meet, they may turn to drugs or alcohol as a way to escape their problems. As addiction takes hold, it can become increasingly difficult to keep up with bills and other financial obligations, which can lead to homelessness.

Family History

This is a big one. While not everyone who grows up in an unstable, dysfunctional family will struggle with addiction, it is a major risk factor. If there is a history of addiction in your family, you are more likely to struggle with addiction yourself. This is due to the fact that you may be more likely to develop unhealthy coping mechanisms and be predisposed to addictive behaviors.

Difficult Life Events

People who experience a traumatic event, such as the death of a loved one or losing their job, are more likely to struggle with addiction. This is because these events can be incredibly overwhelming and lead to feelings of sadness, loneliness, and despair. When people don’t have healthy coping mechanisms to deal with these feelings, they may turn to drugs or alcohol as a way to cope and eventually transition from addiction to homelessness.

There are a number of factors that can lead to both homelessness and addiction, and these problems often feed into each other. It is important to be aware of these risk factors and seek help if you or someone you know is struggling with either homelessness or addiction.

Strategies to Address Homelessness and Substance Abuse

Several strategies can be used to address homelessness and substance abuse. Some of these include:

Providing Access to Mental Health Services

One of the biggest factors that can lead to both homelessness and addiction is a lack of access to mental health services. By providing access to these resources, we can help prevent homelessness and addiction before they start.

Providing Support

People who are struggling with homelessness or addiction often lack the support system they need to get through these trying times. By providing access to resources, such as 12-step programs, we can help people who are struggling to cope and provide them with the support they need.

Incorporating Holistic Treatment

Holistic treatment approaches, such as yoga and meditation, can be incredibly helpful for people who are struggling with addiction and homelessness. These approaches help to address the whole person, not just the addiction. These are just a few of the strategies that can be used to address homelessness and substance abuse. If you or someone you know is struggling with these issues, incorporating one or more of these strategies may be a good option. Remember, it is never too late to get help.

Sober Housing for the Homeless in Recovery

Sober Housing for the Homeless in Recovery

We would love to help more individuals through our ECHO Housing Initiative – however, the need is great and the funding is low. With more donations we can help recovering individuals, who do not have the means to support themselves while in the initial stages of treatment, take the first step back towards becoming productive members of society by providing financial assistance towards safe and supportive sober living housing, personal needs and art for recovery programs while in recovery.

ECHO Recovery is a non-profit organization helping individuals in recovery. We’ve found that many individuals in early recovery do not have a safe place to live.

Please consider donating to help fund this sober housing campaign. Every dollar counts. Even if we can help one person together, it’s worth it, right?

If you or someone you know is struggling with homelessness or dependency, visit our free recovery and treatment resource page for a list of helpful free and low cost services. If you’re in Maryland we also have a list of local recovery resources for those in Harford County.

 

Resources:

  1. Deden Rukmana (2020) The Causes of Homelessness and the Characteristics Associated With High Risk of Homelessness: A Review of Intercity and Intracity Homelessness Data, Housing Policy Debate, 30:2, 291-308, DOI: 10.1080/10511482.2019.1684334
  2. Davis, J. P., Diguiseppi, G., De Leon, J., Prindle, J., Sedano, A., Rivera, D., Henwood, B., & Rice, E. (2019). Understanding pathways between PTSD, homelessness, and substance use among adolescents. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 33(5), 467–476. https://doi.org/10.1037/adb0000488
  3. Lombardi, K., Pines, J. M., Mazer-Amirshahi, M., &Pourmand, A. (2020). Findings of a national dataset analysis on the visits of homeless patients to US emergency departments during 2005-2015. Public Health, 178, 82-89.
  4. Fowler, P. J., Hovmand, P. S., Marcal, K. E., & Das, S. (2019). Solving Homelessness from a Complex Systems Perspective: Insights for Prevention Responses. Annual review of public health, 40, 465–486. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-publhealth-040617-013553
  5. Gannotta, R., Malik, S., Chan, A. Y., Urgun, K., Hsu, F., & Vadera, S. (2018). Integrative Medicine as a Vital Component of Patient Care. Cureus, 10(8), e3098. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.3098
  6. Perri, M., Dosani, N., & Hwang, S. W. (2020). COVID-19 and people experiencing homelessness: challenges and mitigation strategies. CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l’Association medicale canadienne, 192(26), E716–E719. https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.200834
  7. Benavides, A. D., & Nukpezah, J. A. (2020). How Local Governments Are Caring for the Homeless During the COVID-19 Pandemic. The American Review of Public Administration, 50(6–7), 650–657. https://doi.org/10.1177/0275074020942062
Family-based Addiction prevention

What Is Family-Based Addiction Prevention?

Family-based prevention programs aim to prevent youth from falling victim to substance abuse issues by focusing on what families can offer. In fact, research has shown that family-based techniques can be the most effective way of preventing adolescent substance abuse, especially in adolescent girls. Since adolescence (ages 10-19) is a critical time for brain development,  substance abuse during this time can not only lead to addiction, but a host of other problems, including disruptions in brain function, memory, behavior control, judgment, learning, and even motivation.

Therefore, prevention is key to ensure these adolescents secure the best chance possible at a healthy, successful, adult life. Families can reduce the risks of addiction or substance abuse by focusing on family-based prevention.

What Are Family-Based Prevention Programs?

Starting something new can be scary, but the reality of what could happen to your child without –and with drug addiction and other risk-taking behaviors—can be even more frightening. Fortunately, knowing what to expect before you begin a family-based prevention program can help ease some of this anxiety.

Family-based prevention programs target the family’s role in promoting child development and well-being, while also attempting to prevent unhealthy adolescent behaviors.  Adult participants can expect to learn about family conflict management, effective parental communication and discipline techniques, and nurturing skills to support children. Youth can expect to learn strategies for dealing with peer pressure and stress, and the importance of having goals and dreams. Though all programs are different, high-quality programs will also allow you to put the skills you’ve learned into action with role-playing or practice sessions that involve both you and your children.

How Can A Family Prevent Drug Abuse?

Family-based addiction recovery

Drug abuse prevention starts with parents well before children reach the so-called “age of concern” when it comes to drugs and alcohol. Similarly, a good family-based addiction prevention program must also begin at home. Developing an open line of communication with your child about drugs and making healthy choices is an important first step when it comes to preventing drug abuse. These tips can help you ensure you establish a family-based prevention framework long before your child is offered their first opportunity to experiment.

Open the Line of Communication Early

Consider the age of your child and what is age-appropriate to share with them about drugs and their effects. For example, at age 6, you can talk more generally about how drugs are not good for our bodies—especially as opposed to fruit, vegetables, and exercise, all of which are good for our bodies. Try to avoid movies or TV shows that glorify alcohol or drug use when children are young, but if the subject does happen to come up, you can discuss how smoking or alcohol can be bad for our bodies or lead to a person becoming very emotional or angry.

You can also begin helping your child develop an understanding between right and wrong very early on. Let children know you care about them and that they are safe with you. Establishing trust and safety in your relationship early on will make communicating about difficult topics more natural as your child grows.

Consider Your Own Habits

It’s important to realize the influence your own drug or alcohol use has on your child, as well. Consider the message using substances as an escape or as medication sends to your children—children notice how parents use alcohol, tobacco, and drugs in their daily lives, including using these substances to deal with emotions, stress, and pain. Even if you simply choose to imbibe in moderation at a celebration, it is crucial to demonstrate healthy behaviors like designating a sober driver to mitigate risk and set a good example for your child.

Develop a Positive Relationship

family-based prevention for recovery

Prevention isn’t all about focusing on drugs and alcohol—it also involves developing a positive and trusting relationship with your child. Find time to do things with your children that they enjoy, as well as activities that help them understand how crucial it is to support others. Praise them for making good choices and recognize their efforts and successes. Use a mix of praise and criticism so your child can begin to develop understanding and self-confidence about their ability to make healthy and safe choices.

Supporting School-Aged Children

As your child experiences large peer groups for the first time in elementary and middle school, they may begin to hear about drugs in the media. Be aware of the media they are watching and the video games they are playing. Then,  discuss the dangers of the behaviors they may see in movies and games. Encourage them to ask questions and answer them honestly at a level they can understand. At this age, you can begin to share more specific information about how drug and alcohol use can harm our bodies, allowing for more detail than when they were younger. Tell them how drugs can affect a person’s life. For example, drug use means that they would not be able to play their favorite sports.

Almost certainly, as children continue developing through middle school, they will hear about addictive substances from friends. You can support your child in developing positive friendships and hobbies at this time in their life. Participation in sports, the arts, and other extracurricular clubs often leads to positive interactions. These help develop positive adult and peer relationships.

You should also discuss what it means to be a good friend, including not pressuring others to do something just to fit in. Practice different ways your child can say, “no” to peer pressure through role playing. If you are struggling with talking to your child about drug and alcohol misuse, a family-prevention program can help both of you improve your communication skills about the subject.

Supporting Your Teen

As children reach middle and high school, they may know peers who use drugs and alcohol or experience pressure to use these substances themselves. Unfortunately, at this age, teens can be hesitant to bring up the subject of drugs to parents or guardians. Starting the line of communication early on in childhood can help with this, as your child will know you have always been a calm and trusted source of information. In addition, finding a time and location free from distractions to bring up the subject can be helpful—consider taking a walk or a trip to pick up ice cream. Try to remain calm and level-headed during these conversations, so that your teen doesn’t associate opening up to you with getting in trouble.

The rising depression rates of children at this age are also a risk factor for addiction. Continue your previously-established open line of communication when your teen has questions or concerns about mental health, and indicate that substance abuse not only fails to solve mental health issues, but worsens them.

Finally, set clear expectations about family rules and consequences surrounding drug use. It is also important to talk with your child about expectations regarding what they should do if they are around others who are using drugs. Should they call you immediately? Exit the situation? Establishing a family plan can help your teen make better decisions in the moment.

What’s In a Good Family-Based Prevention Program?

Whether you find yourself struggling to establish open communication with your child or simply want to instill protective factors and reduce risk, a family-based prevention program can be a positive addition to your family’s health and wellness efforts. There are many of these programs, but those based on scientific research have met specific standards and have been shown to lead to proven outcomes. Families looking for a family-based prevention program should be aware of what makes a program effective to avoid wasting time and resources on programs that are not properly developed. Assess these four characteristics when searching for a program that fits your family.

1. Program Design and Content

A family-based prevention program should be well-designed, with a clear aim to meet the needs of the families involved.

Each of these components is crucial in a successful family-based prevention program:

  • Clear Goals and Objectives—Effective programs include clear, realistic goals and objectives, and take the time to ensure all understand them. This includes everyone from stakeholders and staff to program participants.
  • Theory-Driven and Research-Based Design—Program goals and activities should be designed based on what research indicates are the most effective approaches. For example, activities should target risk factors, protective factors, and family assets that research has shown to increase the likelihood of substance abuse prevention.
  • Appropriate Dosage and Intensity—Exposure to a program can, and should, differ based on the families involved. Low-risk families may only need a program that lasts for a short duration, while high-risk families benefit from ongoing or intensive programs.
  • Comprehensive Program Design—Programs should not focus on just one component of prevention, but take a broad approach. All parts of the child’s life should be considered, including school, community, and home.
  • Use of Active Learning Techniques: Evidence shows being an active participant in family-based prevention programs leads to better outcomes than a “lecture style” program. The use of role-playing, simulation, and varied teaching models leads to increased success as participants are active and interested in learning.

2. Program Relevance

An effective, evidence-based family prevention program selects specific methods that are relevant to the families they serve. Some programs target certain ages, cultures, or risk factors.

The more specific the program is to a family, the better outcomes they will likely experience. Programs should be:

  • Developmentally Appropriate—Adolescence spans several years of childhood. A program appropriate for a 12-year-old may not be appropriate for a 17-year-old. Programs should meet families and the targeted youth where they are at in life developmentally. The Strengthening Families Program: For Parents and Youth 10-14 is appropriate for middle school-aged children, for example.
  • Available When Participants are Ready to Change—Programs should seek to help participants when they are going through a transition (e.g. transition to high school, death of a loved one), or when a problem becomes evident (e.g. a youth’s first contact with law enforcement). For example, the Nurse-Family Partnership Program is an evidence-based family program that targets at-risk, first-time mothers during their pregnancy.
  • Culturally and Socially Relevant—Choosing a program that is tailored to the culture and tradition of youth and families can improve recruitment, retention, and overall program efficacy. For example, the Strong African American Families program targets African American families with children from 10-14 years old.

3. Program Delivery and Implementation

counselor talking about family-based prevention

The content of a program is important to consider, but so is the way the content is delivered. Trained staff and fostering good relationships are key to program success.

Evidence-based family prevention programs will:

  • Foster Good Relationships—Positive and supportive relationships are more likely to lead to behavior changes and substance abuse prevention.
  • Establish Trust—Establishing trust is important, and participants should not be expected to share sensitive personal information until trust has been established.
  • Have Highly-Qualified Staff—Employees or volunteers in these programs should be trained and committed to establishing trust, being non-judgmental, and upholding confidentiality agreements.

4. Program Assessment and Quality Assurance

Programs should be evaluated regularly, and any new research or developments should inspire change within the curriculum.

Evidence-based family prevention programs should be:

  • Evaluated Efficiently—Programs should be evaluated at the appropriate times using the right tools and scientific methods.
  • Implemented with Fidelity—Staff and volunteers should maintain consistency within each program’s procedures.
  • Well-Documented—Program procedures should be well-documented so that outcomes can be clearly monitored.

Getting Substance Use Support for Your Family

Family-based prevention programs give parents and youth tools to foster a positive parent/child relationship before substance use and addiction. By supporting youth to develop an understanding of the importance of making good choices and empowering parents and families to take preventive actions, family-based prevention can help reduce the risk of substance addiction.

If your child is already showing signs of substance abuse disorder and you’d like to learn more about the process of a family intervention, please head on over to my site to learn how we can help.

Teens Lack Future Planning

Disconnecting From Your Future Self: Why We Prolong Our Recovery

As a common practice, employers the world over ask their potential candidates a simple question: “Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years?”

This line of questioning is meant to learn a candidate’s headspace, both in terms of their own plans for the future. and where they see themselves fitting within that framework. A candidate who has no clue where they will be in 5-10 years might seem, to an employer, to have no direction or purpose, especially when it comes to their goals within that company.

If a person cannot visualize themselves in a position within the company for which they’re applying, happy, successful, and possibly in a higher position than the job they’re applying for, how are employers to have faith in their prospective employee’s motivation for applying?

It’s similar for those in recovery from substance abuse disorder. The ability to visualize ourselves in a position of health, happiness, and continued recovery without relapse is paramount to recovery. As I explored the benefits of the visualization of success in recovery in part 1 of this blog series, I’ll likewise explore the detriments of not visualizing our future selves regarding our recovery—a roadblock many of us experience on our journeys of recovery.

Live Fast, Die Young, Leave a Good-Looking Corpse

James Dean once said, “Live fast, die young, and leave a good-looking corpse.” As morbid and disturbing as this quote is, I’ve found that it resonates with the youth of today in a big way. In fact, the sentiment has even evolved into a more modern iteration: “YOLO,” which is an acronym for “You Only Live Once”. The reasoning behind this phrase is that this is the only life you are given so you might as well live life right up to the hilt. You can find this phrase on t-shirts, mugs, water bottles, and even blankets, for some reason.

At first glance, this “YOLO” mentality might seem fun, clever, and certainly less morbid than Dean’s viewpoint. Unlike Dean’s reckoning, there is less emphasis on death in the future and more emphasis on our lives in the present, which serves to make it much more attractive to youth. Unfortunately, the phrase has also shifted in meaning as it’s become popular, as the most viral catchphrases often do. Instead of a “seize the day/carpe diem” sentiment, it’s become a rallying cry of unaccountability and encouragement to take unnecessary risks. The mindset is exceedingly harmful because it completely separates who we are today from our future selves, who will inevitably experience the fallout from today’s decisions.

Teens’ Future Planning (Or Lack Thereof)

Teens Lack Future Planning

It should come as no surprise that the younger subset of the populace has a tough time imagining their future selves as themselves, just “older”. So, it follows that making life-altering decisions that might affect a teen’s life later comes from this disconnection from their future selves. When teens make decisions like committing a crime or cheating on an important test, they often focus on the immediate consequences—punishment from parents and teachers versus the fact that a conviction will affect their permanent record and academic dishonesty will one day look unfavorable on a college application.

We are predisposed to miss the connections between our present and future selves. In social media, we see that adults today are being taken to task for problematic photos, comments, social media posts and other communiques of their youth, sometimes decades in the past. At the time, most of these individuals had no regard for what the behavior could mean for them in the future. While I can’t speak to the fairness of asking an adult to answer for the “crimes” of their younger, more frivolous selves, it is very much a reality today, especially with social media—and social evidence of the dangers of disconnection with your future self.

Inability to Visualize Future Self and Its Harm

Believe it or not, this mindset is not just employed by teenagers, as evidenced by the adults the world over who use this “YOLO” phrase unironically before they engage in risky or dangerous behavior. While a teenager’s lack of impulse control is backed by science because their prefrontal cortex is not fully developed, the science behind an adult’s risky behavior lies heavily in how we fail to visualize our future selves. Similarly, in teenagers, risk-taking and James Deansian “Rebel Without a Cause” behavior is also understandable and can serve a purpose. Some of the risks taken in youth will not result in positive future outcomes, but may provide life lessons. For adults, the consequences are much more dire.

For example, an adult who does not plan for their end-of-life expenses by way of life insurance could leave their family with hefty funeral expenses and a mountain of debt when they inevitably die. Yet, many of us do just that. While we’re living life, the concept of death is too scary and too troublesome to think about, so we procrastinate and “put off ‘til tomorrow what could be done today”.

Another instance of our need to visualize our future selves as they connect with our present decisions is when we make plans for retirement. By the time we reach federal retirement age at 65 years old, those of us who don’t have a retirement fund or pension must either ask for financial help from children or other family members or keep working to support our expenses. Where we fail, so to speak, is in visualizing ourselves as a retired person later in life when we’re younger. For a time, I, too, fell into the trap of this mindset, until my current path helped me see that the successful person I am today is connected to my past decisions as well as the self I will be in the future.

Why Do We Procrastinate on Important Decisions?

Why Do We Procrastinate on Important Decisions?According to fMRI scans run by Hal Hershfield of the Harvard Business Review with G. Elliot Wimmer and Brian Knutson of Stanford: “Many people feel disconnected from the individuals they’ll be in the future and, as a result, discount rewards that would later benefit them. But brief exposure to aged images of the self can change that behavior.” By being able to visualize themselves as physically older using a visual aid, subjects in the Hershfield study were able to shift their thinking in favor of striving for future rewards.

He further studied how people viewed themselves in the future as compared to how they viewed Hollywood celebrities like Matt Damon and Natalie Portman. Surprisingly, people tended to view themselves in the future and the actors in the same light – as strangers.

Hershfield found that, after reading about celebrities’ lives in gossip magazines, social media, and the like, we continue to regard them as strangers even with our “inside look” into their day-to-day lives. This is because they are strangers – we have never met these people in person, and we have not developed any kind of meaningful interpersonal relationship with them. Our inability to empathize with them, especially with the disparities in income and lifestyle, is normal and understandable.

However, the realization that we largely view our future selves the same as we view celebrities is somewhat alarming. This disconnect and the perception of our future selves as strangers is apparent when you consider alcohol, drug, and even tobacco use. Even with decades of scientific knowledge, readily available on the internet, of what happens to healthy lungs over years of smoking, people still choose to do so. They see their respiratory health as “future me’s” problem, unable to see the irony that “future me” and “current me” have the same set of lungs.

Future Visualization in Recovery

When we make decisions to use illicit drugs or develop a dependency on addictive substances, we are not visualizing our future selves at all. Much like the hypothetical smoker above, we are laying the burden of consequence on a future stranger, not connecting them with ourselves. Drinking to excess with friends seems like a fun time in the moment, especially with alcohol’s inhibiting effect. For many people experiencing addiction, the impact large amounts of alcohol or drugs have on the body, whether a hangover the next morning or liver failure from repeated excessive use years later, are still “future me’s” problem.

The disconnect can persist once recovery begins, delaying progress towards a future of sobriety and health. For this reason, during recovery from substance use disorder, future self-visualization is key. A therapist or mental health professional might implement the techniques employed by Hershfield and his colleagues mentioned above, such as displaying an age progressed photo to help lock in a person’s connection to their future self and what that might look like. Another way of doing this is to have a person close their eyes and really visualize, vividly, where they are in their recovery in a year’s time, 5 years’ time, and moving forward. By doing this, we are seeing ourselves as successful in recovery and truly identifying with our future selves. This further solidifies our motivation to achieve that goal of sobriety/successful recovery.

Conversely, by remaining disconnected from our future selves, we’re unable to see ourselves in sobriety—or even visualize what the alternative of remaining in addiction might truly mean for us. We remain blind to what sobriety might look like in terms of our relationships with our family and friends, our future work success, and how sobriety now affects our future selves. Without building these connections, that sober person in our future is a stranger, diminishing our personal investment in them, and making that goal much harder to achieve.

In many instances, inability to see ourselves as a sober person in the future, free of substance use disorder, can discourage us from continuing to receive help. Or, it can hinder and prolong our journey of recovery. Instead, work to develop a true connection with your future, sober, self, and continue your recovery in harmony with your goals for success.

Start Visualizing A Better Future Today

Visualizing A Better FutureAt ECHO Recovery, we are committed to educating the public about recovery and all the latest science behind it, including future-self visualization as a method of motivating a person to seek help with substance use disorder. We are also passionately fighting the stigma of substance use disorder and its negative effect on those in recovery.

The information on our site, our art classes and other resources are completely free to you. Please consider donating, volunteering, becoming a corporate sponsor or simply subscribing to our blog and following us on social media. Every effort helps us reach more people who need help with recovery. We do this because we care.

Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome and The Family

Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome and The Family

For many individuals recovering from a substance use disorder, as well as for their families and loved ones, the process can be long and arduous. For many, finally making the decision to stay away from drugs or alcohol can take years, and is sometimes the most difficult—and important—step towards recovery. However crucial this first step may be, it’s important for individuals and their families to understand what’s ahead, and to be patient and compassionate while seeking recovery.

Everyone knows that overcoming a drug or alcohol addiction is not an easy task, and is more complicated than waking up one morning and deciding to quit. Recovering from an addiction is a long and involved process, requiring near constant and ongoing diligence and understanding from both the individual and the people closest to them.

What Is Acute Withdrawal Syndrome?

Sometime during the initial few days or weeks after stopping use of an addictive substance, acute withdrawal symptoms usually set in. Acute withdrawal syndrome may include a variety of symptoms, including headache, nausea, muscle aches, and increased heart rate. For some, acute withdrawal can cause serious and even life-threatening physical reactions, which is why detox should always be done in a controlled and supervised environment.

In a supervised setting, doctors work with patients to help mitigate their withdrawal symptoms, while people choosing to detox on their own may struggle to manage their withdrawal symptoms and suffer a relapse, or could experience dangerous medical complications. For some, the physical withdrawal symptoms go away after a few days or weeks, depending on the type, quantity, and duration of drug use prior to detox. However, many people experience prolonged emotional and psychological symptoms long after the physical withdrawal symptoms have gone away. This type of prolonged withdrawal is called Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome, or PAWS, and can last for months or sometimes years.

What Is PAWS?

What Is PAWS?Recovering addicts experience acute withdrawal syndrome as their bodies try to adapt to the sudden absence of drugs. Withdrawal symptoms are caused by changes happening in your body as it tries to adjust. The symptoms caused by these physical changes are physical ones, often causing intense bodily discomfort, pain, and complications.

Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome (PAWS), on the other hand, is linked to the brain, rather than the body. After the body adjusts to not having drugs, it is the brain’s turn to adapt. As the brain attempts to recalibrate after detox, it undergoes some intense chemical fluctuation. These changes in chemical levels in the brain often lead to a period of psychological or emotional problems, known as PAWS. As the brain attempts to normalize, fluctuating chemical levels can cause individuals to experience a variety of symptoms associated with mood and psychological behavior, such as:

  • Depression and sadness
  • Anxiety
  • Aggressive or hostile behavior
  • Low energy
  • Severe mood swings
  • Physical or mental fatigue
  • Insomnia or vivid dreams
  • Thought fog or trouble remembering
  • Inability to focus
  • Lack of sex drive
  • Chronic pain

These symptoms can vary from person to person. The PAWS symptoms an individual experiences may vary depending on several factors.

For example:

  • Type of substance used
  • Duration and frequency of drug use
  • Physical size of the individual
  • Gender
  • Overall health
  • Pre-existing mental condition

What Substances Cause PAWS?

Most addictive substances can cause PAWS, including alcohol, and prescription and recreational drugs. Research shows PAWS most often occurs among people recovering from addictions to any of the following substances:

Alcohol

Alcohol was one of the first substances discovered to cause PAWS. Suddenly stopping alcohol consumption can be dangerous, as alcohol withdrawal can cause severe tremors, seizures, delirium, and psychosis. When alcohol use is stopped abruptly and without supervision, it can also lead to long-term PAWS.

Marijuana

Many individuals use marijuana to relax, relieve anxiety, and induce sleep. As a result, it is not uncommon to experience insomnia and an inability to relax after stopping use of marijuana. Prolonged insomnia can lead to PAWS.

Methamphetamine

For many people recovering from an active meth addiction, impulse control can be an issue for months or even years after detox.

Antidepressants

Few people abuse antidepressants, because they do not cause a rapid intoxication. However, abruptly stopping use of these drugs can greatly disrupt serotonin and other neurotransmitters in the brain, which could cause the individual to feel intensely depressed for weeks or months.

Antipsychotics

Antipsychotics bind to the dopamine receptors in the brain. When these drugs are discontinued, they could cause mood swings for months. PAWS symptoms may be more extreme if the antipsychotics are discontinued abruptly, without a taper.

Benzodiazepines

These drugs are usually prescribed to help people manage anxiety and panic disorders. Benzodiazepines are usually only prescribed for short periods at a time because it is very easy for the brain to develop a dependency on these drugs. Acute withdrawal symptoms from benzos will mimic panic attacks they are prescribed to treat, while long-term PAWS symptoms may include insomnia, cravings, and fatigue. These symptoms may last for months.

Opioids

Opioids, whether prescription versions or illegal recreational versions like heroin, can lead to intense acute withdrawal symptoms. Individuals who experienced the full intensity of physical opioid withdrawal symptoms are more likely to develop PAWS later on. PAWS may be especially strong in individuals who did not taper. PAWS symptoms after opioid use include cravings, cognitive impairment, fatigue, and exhaustion. These symptoms sometimes persist for a very long time after becoming sober.

How Long Does PAWS Last?

How Long Does PAWS Last?Unfortunately, there is no specific PAWS timeline. Just as there are many factors involved in determining who experiences PAWS, what symptoms they have, and how extreme the symptoms are, these same variables also affect how long PAWS will persist. When PAWS first sets in, it often feels like a roller coaster, with moods and feelings changing from minute to minute. Gradually, the time between changes gets longer. Later in the process, there may be weeks between symptoms. However, it’s important to be aware that even as the time between symptoms grows longer, bad episodes may still last for several days at a time.

In most cases, there is no obvious trigger for these episodes, so it can be impossible to predict when a post-acute withdrawal syndrome symptom may set in. For many people, this can be the most frustrating part. They can be having a great few days, feeling happy and healthy, and suddenly become irritable and depressed again for no seeable reason. It’s very important for individuals and families to know about PAWS, because these symptoms can be just as powerful as acute withdrawal symptoms and often cause people to relapse. Having the support and understanding of family and close friends while they experience PAWS is crucial.

How Is PAWS Treated?

The best way to manage and treat post-acute withdrawal syndrome is through continued support from counselors and therapists. Because PAWS encompasses a cluster of emotional and psychological symptoms, medical professionals help their clients by:

  • Educating clients and their families about the possible effects of PAWS and what to expect from recovery.
  • Encouraging patients during the process.
  • Celebrating every accomplished step towards recovery.
  • Helping the client find natural ways of promoting sleep.
  • Encouraging or prescribing regular physical exercise.
  • Encouraging clients to join emotional support groups.
  • Providing tools for impulse control.
  • Taking self-reported symptoms seriously and assessing potential co-occurring symptoms.

While many individuals have good medical supervision and support during the physical stages of acute withdrawal syndrome, during the post-acute withdrawal syndrome stage, family and friends are often the first—and only—line of support.

Controversy of PAWS

Post-acute withdrawal syndrome is a controversial topic among medical professionals and individuals. Despite the thousands of people experiencing PAWS every year; it is not an official medical diagnosis. The nature of PAWS makes it difficult to define. The symptoms vary greatly between individuals, while many of the symptoms are self-reported by individuals experiencing them. Without a medical definition, PAWS cannot be officially recognized by the medical community, even though many medical professionals know PAWS to be a real and potentially dangerous part of the recovery process.

Another reason why PAWS sparks so much controversy is because there is no clear consensus about what the syndrome is or what to do about it. Some people believe PAWS symptoms are just an excuse to relapse. Others believe it was invented by doctors within the medical industry to make more money off of prolonged treatment. Some medical practitioners argue that it is just another form of acute withdrawal.

How Can Families Help During PAWS?

As a family member, it’s important to be informed about the recovery process and to know what to expect during the PAWS stage. After seeing your loved one through detox and acute withdrawal symptoms, it’s difficult not to feel like the challenges have all been faced already, or to expect your loved one to be completely recovered after detox.

Learning about PAWS will enable you to be more supportive, understanding, and helpful to your loved one rather than reacting to their PAWS-induced behavior with suspicion, fear, or anger. Behavior caused by PAWS can sometimes look like a person’s behavior while using drugs or alcohol—inability to sleep, irritability, or mood swings—and often arouse suspicion in family members, who may think their loved one has had a relapse. Accepting these symptoms as a normal part of the process can greatly reduce your own stress and anxiety, and help you be a more effective support for your loved one.

How Families Can Survive PAWS

How Families Can Survive PAWS

Be Patient

The most important thing to remember is to be patient. Recovery is a long, slow, and difficult process for all involved. The best thing you can do is to trust the process and take it one day at a time. Never try to hurry recovery.

Don’t Resent PAWS

It can be hard not to resent PAWS, especially when it causes your loved one to behave in ways you can’t understand. But if you react with frustration or resentment, both you and your loved one will start to feel exhausted, and the relationship strained.

Take Time for Yourself

While you may be tempted to devote all your time, efforts, and energy to supporting your loved one through their recovery, it’s important to take time for self-care so that you do not get burnt out. If you wear yourself down too far, you will no longer be able to provide the care and support your loved one needs. Part of this is learning to relax. Try to avoid dwelling incessantly on your loved one’s problems, and instead remind yourself often that what you are doing is enough.

Practice Meditation

Developing a consistent meditation practice can help you gain control over your thoughts and emotions and act more rationally in stressful situations. Sit comfortably with your eyes closed and begin to gently clear and empty your mind of all thoughts and distractions. It’s important—especially at first—that you don’t get frustrated when you feel your mind start to wander. This is a natural part of the process! When you notice your mind chasing after a certain thought or feeling, or getting swept up by distractions, gently call it back and resume your focus. You can start with five minutes a day, and gradually increase your time. Practicing meditation regularly for just a few minutes is more beneficial than attempting to sit in meditation for long periods, sporadically.

Get Regular Exercise

Getting regular exercise, whether it’s going for walks, taking a yoga class, doing some cycling—or whatever it is you enjoy—exercising for at least thirty minutes a day is another great way to gain mental clarity, sort through and control the thoughts, and manage stress.

Free Recovery Resources

Free Recovery ResourcesIt can be difficult to navigate PAWS, especially because it is impossible to predict exactly what symptoms will occur. Having strong family support can make the process more bearable, while seeking the help of counselors and therapists can help mitigate the symptoms and help reduce the chances of relapse.

ECHO Foundation provides support, tools, and resources for individuals seeking recovery, as well as information and answers for the families of people with mental health and substance use disorders. Visit our Free Treatment page for a list of resources you can use to find free and low-cost behavioral health services. There are also many resources available in the Harford County, Maryland community for those seeking addiction treatment and recovery support locally.

The Benefits of Connecting With Your Future Self

The Benefits of Connecting With Your Future Self

We Think of Our Future Selves as Strangers

Try to imagine your birthday next year. Now visualize yourself in 20 years, on your birthday. Did you see yourself through your own eyes blowing out the candles? What did you see in 20 years? Was it someone else, unfamiliar, who was blowing out the candles? For many people, it is extremely difficult to connect to a future version of themselves. I know that I never imagined the person I am today when I thought about my life 20 years down the road.

This disconnect between our current selves and that future version that is out there in the distance can make it difficult to make life choices that are beneficial to our future selves. Not having an emotional connection to our future selves makes it more difficult to make long-term plans, fulfill the goals we set for ourselves, and complete long-term projects. Given that our recovery journey is a long-term project, I’m sure you can see the importance of developing an emotional connection to our future selves.

The Science Behind Connecting to Our Future Self

The importance of connecting to our future selves is grounded in scientific evidence. Scientists from Stanford University used fMRI scans of research participant’s brains to compare neural patterns. Their research focused on the rostral anterior cingulate cortex and the medial prefrontal cortex, which experience more activity when a person thinks about himself. They found that when people were asked to describe their self ten years from now, their neurological patterns were similar to those patterns formed when thinking about another person such as a celebrity, instead of resembling the neurological patterns formed when thinking about their current self.

This same data was evidenced across the board of the research project. So, from the perspective of their brain, the future self was a completely different person. Those participants that had the widest variance between their view of their present and future self were also the least likely to defer immediate gratification for future rewards. These are the people for whom procrastination can be a serious problem.

If the part of your brain that lights up when you think of your current self is not the same as the part that is engaged when you think about your future self, it makes sense that it is difficult to take action today for some future version of yourself that you don’t feel connected to. For most of us, it’s the here and now that feels important. The “just for today” takes precedent over the “what about ten years from now.” Why not eat that extra piece of cake?

These same researchers found that by helping participants develop an emotional connection with their future selves, they were also more likely to participate in more future-oriented behavior. The correlation between a strong emotional connection to our future self and a willingness to put in the necessary work today to reap the benefits for our future self indicates how valuable and nurturing this relationship can be.

Impacts of Disconnection From Your Future Self

Impacts of Disconnection From Your Future Self When we are disconnected from our future selves, we are less likely to consider the impact that today’s actions have on our future. Our biases towards thinking in terms of the present make immediate gratification a more tempting option. We can see, feel, and taste the impact of our decisions in the present, but their effects on our future selves are a lot less tangible. For many of us who have struggled with addiction and substance abuse disorders, this is an all too familiar mindset.

Plus, we all tend to be overly positive about the expectations of our ability to make better decisions tomorrow. This disconnection impacts those who don’t struggle with substance abuse as well.

Here are a few areas of our lives that can be impacted by a disconnection with our future selves:

Financial

It can be much more difficult to save money for retirement when you can’t even begin to connect to the version of yourself that is 40 years in the future. So, instead of putting that tax refund into a retirement fund, you take a trip to Disney. But what if you had a picture of your 75-year-old self on your computer screen while you were making that decision? Would you still go to Disney? The research shows that simply having an avatar that resembles our aged self can cause us to deliberate a little longer and make a better choice for our future self.

Health

How many of us can relate to the “I’ll start my diet tomorrow” syndrome? And then tomorrow comes, but your brain is still not connected to that future version of yourself, and instead of starting that diet, you have that piece of cake or take a nap instead of a walk. Would you still participate in behavior that can put you at risk for chronic disease if you felt emotionally connected and responsible for that future version of yourself?

Ethics

Would you still cheat on a test or steal that purse if you knew what the impact would be on your future self? If you could see your future self, sitting in jail, would you be as likely to break into someone’s house to steal a TV? Research shows that those who have an emotional connection to their future self are less likely to behave in unethical ways.

Self-Improvement

Making sacrifices today for a better future in 20 years can be a tough sell when you have no real connection to that person. Sleeping in on the weekend is much easier than studying for a test, especially when you lack a connection to that future Fortune 500 version of yourself. Besides, you can get up early next weekend. Unfortunately, next weekend you will still have that present-day mindset that put you in this situation last weekend.

Substance Abuse

Would you choose to snort cocaine just for fun at that party you went to after work if you could see your future self dealing with withdrawal symptoms? Or would you still go to your daughter’s birthday party drunk out of your mind, if you could see your future self, living alone in an apartment because your wife divorced you and you no longer have custody of your children? The immediate gratification we derive from a substance can quickly turn into abuse and addiction for our future self that we never connect with our actions at the moment.

The thing is, until we change from a present-day bias in our thinking and connect more emotionally to our future selves, we will keep putting things off and making decisions that are based on immediate gratification.

Your Connection to Your Future Self Impacts Your Recovery Journey

Recovery Journey It isn’t that difficult to see how a disconnection to the future version of ourselves contributes to the choices that many of us made that lead us down the path of substance abuse. The immediate gratification of getting high or having that drink was much more tangible than the idea that our future self might end up in a rehab facility, especially when our mind thinks of our future self in the same way it views a stranger. Why would we prioritize the health and happiness of someone we aren’t connected to above the happiness and immediate gratification of this real-time version of ourselves?

If this disconnection to our future self contributed to the person we are today, then it is only logical that we can choose to connect to our future self in such a way as to make better decisions and to support our recovery process. Instead of only seeing ourselves as an alcoholic or an addict who is confined to that role, and all that comes with it, we can focus on our future selves and the goals we have for the future. If we can emotionally connect to a non-using version of ourselves, and make choices that will support that vision, then, based on science, we should find those positive choices are much easier to make.

Visualization is a powerful tool for bringing about change. The more vivid and realistic you can make that vision of a positive future self, and the more you can align it with your present self, the more likely you will be to act in a way that supports that vision. You will find that it is easier to sacrifice the immediate gratification of today to support that future self that you have grown to care about.

Imagine a future birthday party for your children where you are not only present physically but mentally and emotionally too. Imagine getting a promotion at your job or receiving a 5-year coin for your sobriety journey. The more real your goals are for your future self, the more you can connect that person to who you are today.

Another great tool for developing a closer connection to this vision is to write a letter from your future self, thanking your present-day self for having the courage to make the kinds of changes that allowed these positive milestones to happen. What actions did you take? How did you change your behavior? What sacrifices led to that future success?

Benefits of Connecting to Our Future Self

Taking the time to emotionally connect with our future selves can change the way we think and strengthen our ability to make positive choices in the present moment. Making simple changes such as playing out a decision before we act on it can connect us more deeply to our future self. Before deciding to put something off until tomorrow, play out the scenario.

If I don’t finish studying today and put it off till next week, then I’ll have to stay up late after I get off work to finish my studying. If I work late, I’ll be too tired to study and then fall asleep. Then when I have to take the test the next day, I’ll be tired and unprepared… may as well study now.  Taking the 20 seconds to walk yourself through the impact of your decision on your future self has now changed your brain’s neural process to think of your future self as being more directly connected to your present actions.

The more time we spend connecting to our future self, the more integrated that version of our self becomes with our present-day self. The most successful people have a strong connection to the future version of themselves and can act in such a way as to bring that vision to fruition. They can delay immediate gratification because they are deeply connected to the future vision of themselves.

Ways to Connect to Our Future Self

Taking the time to focus on better connections with your future self can provide the motivation you need to develop healthy habits in the here and now. Think about what you envision for your future self. What do your relationships look like? What does your recovery look like for your future self?

The following writing prompts can serve as a starting point to developing that connection:

  1. Try to envision your life five years from now. What does your path look like? What kind of work do you do? Where do you live? How do you spend your free time? How do you feel physically and emotionally? Try to visualize yourself in 10 years, and then farther down the path at 20 years from now. Have you chosen a different path for yourself? Are you doing the same work? Are you living in a different place?
  2. Write a letter to your “current self “from your “future self.” What type of advice do you think they might offer you? What kind of personal insight into your growth could they teach you? What have they learned in the future that can help you now?
  3. Take some time in the morning to consider how your present actions impact where you will be in the next 5,10, or 20 years. If that seems too far off, try the prompt using a year from now. Then make a list of actions you can take today that will have a positive impact on bringing you closer to your vision of your future self.

Prioritize a Relationship With Your Future Self

Prioritize a Relationship With Your Future SelfThe path of recovery requires that we not only take each 24-hour day, minute by minute but also that we envision a future for ourselves that is full of the things that we define as success and the love and joy of our friends and family. Our journey is a journey of discovering ourselves, and that includes connecting to the vision that we have for our future self. The more we can bring this vision to life and stay connected to this non-using version of ourselves, the more likely we are to make the positive choices that will make this future our reality.

Making a friend out of the stranger that our future self can be, is a beneficial step for anyone who wants to make more positive choices in the here and now. It can help you stop procrastination tendencies, delay immediate gratification, and improve your lifestyle to benefit your future. Take the next step on your journey of self-discovery today.