Tag: Women in Recovery

Alcoholism: Gender and the Rate of Addiction in Women

Until the late 1990s, almost all clinical studies on drug addiction in the United States were only done on men; no consideration was given to the differences between gender or how drugs may affect each differently. Advanced research in recent years shows that addiction in women has different, and often far worse, effects than in men. These consequences are much more exaggerated for women who are pregnant and the developing child.

Science didn’t discover most of the gender-based differences in addiction’s impacts on the body until recent decades. Advanced research shows that addiction affects women differently and often far worse than men. These consequences are much more significant for women who are pregnant and the effects on the developing child.

Addiction in Women

Addiction to substances such as heroin and alcohol affects women differently than men. Men and women respond differently to addiction and drug abuse. The differences between addiction in women suffering from addiction arise from biological and sociological differences. Many researchers now explain gender differences between the two due to society’s impact (such as child care responsibilities, addiction stigma, relationship dynamics, etc.).

There are also biological differences between men and women, revolving primarily around testosterone and estrogen production and average body size and composition, which cause substances to affect the body adversely.

Does Alcohol Affect Men and Women Differently?

According to the National Institute of Alcohol Addiction, “Women are more vulnerable than men to alcohol-related organ damage and trauma, and tend to develop alcohol addiction in much less time.”

In today’s age of stress and anxiety, people often tend to self-medicate with drugs and alcohol for their mental disorders to find an escape from reality. Research shows that women’s addiction is often related to controlling emotional pain. Feeling stressed and fed up with the grind of daily life grind, some women resort to binge drinking to forget about their worries for a period of time.

Consequences of Alcohol Addiction in Women

Women report unique reasons for using drugs, including controlling weight, battling fatigue, coping with pain, and attempts to self-treat mental health problems. Scientists who study substance abuse have found that women may experience issues related to hormones, menstrual cycle, fertility, pregnancy, breastfeeding, and menopause.

At every stage of life, women quickly become dependent on Alcohol and drugs and suffer the consequences, including mental issues, damage to the brain and other organs, and fatal accidents. What’s most dangerous is the severe attack of alcohol addiction on pregnant women. The fetus suffers the tension created by Alcohol in the woman’s body and may permanently damage or have limited growth.

Women are more prone to the physical and emotional damages caused by addiction. Women addicts are more likely than men to develop liver infection and get addiction-related brain changes. Women addicts are also likely to get heart disease and strokes more than men. Besides, women are more likely than men to develop addictive hepatitis and to die from cirrhosis.

What is the Effective Treatment Strategies for Women?

With so many differences between how men and women experience and deal with addiction, it’s a wonder that so many treatment facilities aren’t gender-specific. Yet, it only makes sense that treating a disease that is so different for men and women that the treatment options aren’t different.

Unfortunately, people may feel ashamed of having an addiction because they have been told that it’s just something you need to get over, so they see themselves as unique and less than human when they can’t. This isn’t true.

Just as is the case with any other mental health issue, it takes much more than lectures, willpower, and other platitudes to conquer an addiction. When it comes to addiction in women, proper health care takes a professional treatment program and support groups of other women who can empathize with your experience.

Substance Abuse Treatment

If you have substance use disorders that affect your daily life, short or long term, consult one of our care coordinators.

Anchored Tides Recovery is a comprehensive dual-diagnosis enhanced Huntington Beach rehab program explicitly designed to treat addiction in women. Contact us today, and we can help you recover from alcohol addiction if you’re ready.

addiction in women Substance Abuse women and addiction Women in Recovery

Addiction During Pregnancy and Inpatient Rehab for Women

Until the late 1990s, all clinical studies on addiction were only done on men; no consideration was given to the differences between gender or how drugs may affect men and women differently. Advanced research in recent years shows that the consequences of addiction are far worse in women, especially women who are pregnant and the developing child. As a result of this advanced research, we were able to develop more effective treatment options, such as inpatient rehab for women only, to develop the field of addiction further.

Drug Use During Pregnancy

While pregnant, the fetus inside of you shares your resources. Everything you put into your bloodstream gets absorbed by the child, including toxic chemicals. Smoking, drinking, or using drugs during pregnancy may all have a significant impact on the development of the fetus.

Research indicates that pregnant women’s usage of cigarettes, alcohol, or illegal drugs or abuse of prescription drugs may have serious health effects for infants. Certain drugs quickly move through the placenta (an organ that joins the mother and fetus) because the fetus is often reached by any drug that a pregnant woman takes. The latest research indicates that smoking cigarettes or marijuana, taking prescription pain relievers, or using illicit substances during pregnancy are associated with double or even triple the risk of stillbirth.

More than 50% of pregnant women, for example, take prescription or non-prescription drugs or use social drugs such as cigarettes and alcohol or illegal drugs during pregnancy at some stage, and drug use during pregnancy is growing gradually as well.

Unless instructed, women should generally not use medications during pregnancy because many can affect the unborn baby. About 2 to 3 percent of all congenital disabilities are induced by medications used to relieve a disorder or symptom. Here are reasons why you should definitely opt for inpatient rehab for women if you can’t stop taking drugs.

Risks of Stillbirth from Substance Use in Pregnancy

Tobacco Use:

The risk of stillbirth is 1.8 to 2.8 times higher, with the highest risk occurring in the heaviest smokers

Marijuana Use:

2.3 times higher risk for stillbirth

Evidence of Any Stimulant, Marijuana, or Prescription Pain Reliever Use:
The chance of stillbirth is 2.2 times greater

Passive Exposure to Tobacco:

The chance of stillbirth is 2.1 times greater

Addiction During Pregnancy

Addiction is nothing to be ashamed of; it is a chronic condition affecting millions of Americans, including pregnant women. Research reveals that over 17 million people are dealing with alcohol abuse, and over 25 million adults are abusing prescription and illicit medications.

If you have a physical dependence on a drug, your child will be born addicted to that drug. Except once they separate from your umbilical cord, they will no longer have that substance in their bloodstream and will experience potentially life-threatening withdrawal symptoms.

Drug withdrawal symptoms in newborns can develop immediately or up to 14 days after birth and may include:

Blotchy skin coloring
Diarrhea
Excessive or high-pitched crying
Abnormal sucking reflex
Fever
Hyperactive reflexes
Increased muscle tone
Irritability
Poor feeding
Rapid breathing
Seizures
Sleep problems
Slow weight gain
Stuffy nose and sneezing
Sweating
Trembling
Vomiting

Effects of using some drugs could be long-term and possibly fatal to the baby

Birth defects
Low birth weight
Premature birth
Small head circumference
Sudden infant death syndrome

Nobody plans to become addicted to drugs or alcohol. However, you can opt to seek help, and you’re not going to be alone: substance treatment intake statistics indicate that about 5 percent of women are pregnant when they reach rehab. If you have become pregnant when addicted to drugs or alcohol, several supportive recovery facilities and inpatient rehab for women are trained and ready to support you through this challenging situation. Do not let your fear of being judged put your baby’s life at risk.

Women-only rehab provides a supportive place for pregnant women to get the medical care they need for drug and alcohol addiction; It gives you and your baby the best possible opportunity for a safe pregnancy and childbirth.

Choosing a Women Only Rehab

Addiction can be a daunting matter to manage during pregnancy. Emotions are elevated, and the added tension or feelings that come with pregnancy may feel like too much to handle. The longer you wait to get treatment, the greater the risk of complications during your pregnancy.

Seeking immediate treatment eliminates the risk of birth defects and gives your child a chance at a better life for themselves and a mother’s gift of recovery.

Anchored Tides Recovery is a comprehensive dual-diagnosis enhanced Huntington Beach rehab program designed specifically for women by women. We can help you find the resources you need to manage addiction and pregnancy and provide the aftercare you need to beat your addiction. Call us today.

Addiction Recovery inpatient rehab for women Women in Recovery Women's addiction treatment

Creating Your Success Story: Opting for Alcohol or Drug Treatment

Opting for Drug Treatment

What is a success story, and how is it even created? Do you make one for yourself, or is your story written for you? A good story always involves a protagonist overcoming a struggle and persevering over the antagonist. Does the antagonist have to be a person, though? Some of the best stories involve the struggle being drug treatment and the antagonist is addiction.

This blog will help you take control of your narrative and create your own success story.

Baby Steps

So, how do you even make your success story?

The answer is always baby steps. Losing hope and giving up is easy. Taking baby steps and setting short yet attainable goals will help prevent you from losing hope, and keep up your motivation to keep moving forward. Dreaming big and setting long-term goals is good, but long-term goals take time, and a lot can happen in that time. We live in a time where everyone is used to instant gratification, and if you don’t have short-term goals to bridge the gap between now and your long-term goals, it could easily lead to disappointment. Patience is a virtue.

Trial and Error

Recovery is a process, and as with any process, failure is a possibility. In your process, you will try many different options, some that work for you and some that don’t. Do not be discouraged by failure, because failure provides an opportunity to grow. Having the strength to not give up is something to be proud of. A success story is only a success story because of the resilience and patience it took to create that story.

Accept Help: Seeking Alcohol or Drug Treatment

Addiction is a disease, Substance Use Disorder (SUD) and Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) both describe not being in control of how much or how often you use these drugs. Everybody’s brain is wired differently, and as such the level of control we have over our own actions is not the same. Some people require much more willpower to be in control, and for those people, there is no shame in seeking outside help.

There are many drug addiction treatment centers that take insurance coverage and offer specific treatment options that are scientifically proven to help with overcoming addiction. Sometimes the options you have can feel overwhelming, but stick with your baby steps and you will keep with the progression of your story. Sometimes making progress is as easy as googling “rehab near me.”

Alcohol Addiction and Drug Treatment

Alcohol is a dangerous drug, and if you suddenly stop drinking and try to quit cold turkey you could be making a fatal mistake. Alcohol is a drug that creates a physical dependence, and when your body is physically dependent on a substance the consequences are life-threatening if you don’t approach quitting properly.

The first step to getting treatment for alcohol addiction is to do a medically assisted detoxification. Medical detox is a form of health care that uses calculated doses of antidotes to mitigate the discomfort of withdrawal symptoms. A rehab program that specializes in treating alcohol addiction will often offer residential inpatient services as well, this is where you live at the facility for an extended period, to minimize the opportunity for relapse while attending counseling sessions regularly.

People getting treatment for AUD may also find it helpful to utilize aftercare support groups, such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA).

Drug Addiction Treatment

Drug treatment programs at an addiction center are designed to provide addicts with the mental tools needed to continue in sobriety. Treatment is a long-term procedure for many and requires dropping down through many different levels of care. Many people consider addiction to be a lifetime sentence and believe they will never overcome it, even if they haven’t used drugs in years.

Drug treatment may include behavioral therapy or a combination of medications. Depending on the patient’s specific needs and the types of drugs they are addicted to, the actual treatment methods can differ.

Many recovery services use both individual and group therapy. Support groups can help develop communication skills, friendships, and an empowered mindset. Behavioral therapies can help with maintaining sobriety, provide methods to cope with drug cravings, and prevent relapse.

Behavioral therapies offer psychological strengthening and help to enforce behavioral contingencies that facilitate abstinence and a lifestyle that is not drug-using. Some of the more advanced therapies, such as contingency management and cognitive-behavioral therapy, are now being modified for community environments to work on different aspects of addiction.

Even though a first-time rehab experience can be intimidating, it is ultimately the best choice towards putting your life back on track while easing the tension and the unknowing fear of what’s going to happen. It always helps to read and research the rehab facility you are interested in and its offers.

Are you Someone who is looking to help your daughter, mother, sister, or friend?

Are you looking for excellent inpatient rehab, especially for women?

Join Anchored Tides Recovery. Please contact us today at 1-866-524-6014 and get on the road to recovery.

Addiction Recovery Addiction Treatment drug treatment women and addiction Women in Recovery Women's addiction treatment

America’s Fentanyl Crisis: Synthetic Opioids

Before we get more into America’s fentanyl crisis and how dangerous fentanyl addiction is, it helps to know what the drug is and how it works. Fentanyl is a big factor contributing to the opioid crisis and opioid overdoses. Opioids (heroin, morphine, methadone, and codeine) are typically used for treating pain symptoms and are usually prescribed by doctors and then people become addicted quickly.

What is Fentanyl?

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid, made in a lab, used to treat patients with extreme pain (especially after surgery, like morphine.) However, Fentanyl is 50x stronger than heroin and 100x stronger than morphine. This makes the chance even more significant for an overdose; a minor change in dosage can cost you your life.

Tolerance happens when you require a larger and/or more regular dose of a drug to get the desired results. It is sometimes used to treat people with chronic pain who are physically tolerant to other medications, and nothing seems to work on them anymore.

How do People Use Fentanyl?

When prescribed by a doctor for extreme pain, fentanyl is usually administered in a patch, shot, pill, liquid, or tablet. However fentanyl is sometimes distributed on the streets as a powder, and this illegal fentanyl can become combined with other products, sometimes on purpose or accidentally through cross-contamination. It sometimes even gets put in eye droppers, nasal sprays, or made into pills that look like other prescription opioids.

When used as prescribed, this medication serves as an effective pain killer. Illegally used fentanyl is closely associated with America’s recent spike in overdoses.

Fentanyl is often mixed with other narcotics, such as heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, and MDMA. This is because generating a high with fentanyl requires a very small dosage, making it a cheap additive. This is particularly dangerous if drug users do not know that they are consuming the opioid. They may take a dose that is stronger than their bodies can handle and may are likely to overdose.

What Are The Side Effects of Fentanyl?

Fentanyl side effects can be life-threatening and include:

Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea
Drowsiness
Weight Loss
Heartburn
Difficulty Urinating
Difficulty Breathing
Anxiety
Depression
Fainting
Difficulty Sleeping
High Blood Pressure

Fentanyl Overdose

An Individual can more easily overdose on fentanyl than on any other drug. When people have an overdose of fentanyl, their breathing can slow or stop altogether. Hypoxia causes the amount of oxygen that enters the brain to be decreased and can lead to a coma, irreversible brain damage, and even death.

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), “From 2017 to 2018, overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids other than methadone, which includes fentanyl, rose 10 percent. More than 31,000 individuals died in 2018 from overdoses involving synthetic opioids.”

America’s Fentanyl Crisis

Fentanyl confiscations rose by almost 7x from 2012 to 2014, according to data from the National Forensic Laboratory Information System. In 2014, there were 4,585 confiscations, this means that the sharp rise in opioid-related deaths could be due to the increased availability of illegally manufactured, non-pharmaceutical, and non-prescribed fentanyl.

The number of states that record 20 or more confiscations of fentanyl per six months is growing.

The most popular drugs implicated in drug overdose overdoses in the United States are now opioids, including fentanyl. In 2020 fentanyl was involved in 80% of opioid-related deaths, compared to 14.3 percent in 2010!

Keep fentanyl out of reach of children; If used unintentionally by a child who has not been prescribed the drug, fentanyl can be life-threatening. Fentanyl, even partially used, can contain a sufficient dose enough to cause severe injury or death.

If you are prescribed Fentanyl, be sure to keep it in a bottle with child safety locks to prevent accidental overdose. Dispose of partly used medication according to the manufacturer’s medication guide immediately after use. If you witness someone who is overdosing on fentanyl or any other opioid call 911 immediately so they can administer an antidote that, if administered quickly enough, can rapidly reverse the effects of opioid overdose.

Not a New Drug

Fentanyl is not a new drug. It has been around and used in medical settings since the 60s, but it only is getting national attention in the past few years. High publicity deaths, like Prince and George Floyd, pointed the spotlight on fentanyl and its dangerous properties.

Even though America’s fentanyl crisis has only become popular in recent years, opioid use disorder has been plaguing people for a much longer time. If you or someone you know is struggling with opioid use disorder contact us for help. Anchored Tides is a female-only treatment environment that encourages growth far beyond drug addiction treatment.

Fentanyl crisis Substance Abuse Women in Recovery

7 Ways Mindfulness Helps in Maintaining Long-Term Sobriety

7-ways-being-mindful-for-long-term-sobriety

The practice of being mindful can be a valuable ally in maintaining long-term sobriety. Letting go of any preconceived notions you have towards “new-age” practice is a process that may initially face some resistance. Still, once embraced, it’s proven helpful for many people towards maintaining Long-Term Sobriety and finding peace.

Embracing some new-age concepts doesn’t mean you need to become a vegan and start collecting crystals. There are many aspects of mindfulness that you can simply learn or understand and use to aid daily life. People in recovery who focus on their environment, movement, breathing, and own shortcomings can find practical and long-lasting ways to navigate through a life of sobriety.

This piece will outline seven mindful mechanisms to prioritize your mental health and bring you closer to a more relaxed, present, and happy self – without alcohol or drugs.

So… What is being mindful?

As the name implies, mindfulness is the practice of tuning into oneself and becoming aware. The approach of “being present” means ignoring concerns of the past and worries about the future, not allowing yourself to be distracted from awareness of everything taking place in the present moment. One way to effectively achieve this state of awareness is through meditation or focused breathing.

Practicing mindfulness often involves meditation, but perhaps not in the way you’re thinking.

How to Meditate

The basic idea of meditation is just to sit down and breathe. Simple enough, right? Just breathe. “Watch your breath,” you might be told on a mindful meditation recording or by an instructor. How do you watch something you can’t even see? This phrase simply means to bring the focus back to your breathing.

Mindful meditation was once explained to me as “watching clouds go by in the sky.”

…What does that even mean?

“Your mind is the sky, and the clouds are any thoughts or emotions that arise as you breathe and ‘watch the sky.”

Inevitably, some thoughts will pop into your head, primarily because our minds and bodies are used to constant stimulation. When this happens, the idea is to acknowledge these thoughts as distractions and not waste any energy to “chase” them, but instead allow them to pass, just as clouds pass by, and return our attention to breathing.

The best part of this is you don’t have to do it for too long. One minute per day is a simple place to start – we all have 1 minute to spare. As you get more comfortable, do more sessions of one minute per day. Eventually, increase the length of those and start 5-minute sessions. Find what works for you and your schedule; being mindful is not so much about quantity as it is the quality of the practice.

It takes time and practice to get to a place where you will feel comfortable in training. Don’t feel bad if you don’t get it on your first try. A significant driving factor of being mindful is that there is no real end to the practice. Kind of like sober life, even after you complete addiction treatment and no longer drink or use drugs, you’re never really done avoiding relapse.

So How Can This Practice Help Someone Maintain Long-Term Sobriety? Let’s Dive in!

Calm Down the Mental Chatter

Once you establish a mindful mentality, you’ll begin to focus less on some of the “talk” that’s always going on in our minds. Our brains are designed to problem solve and to be constantly on the alert. Worries, concerns, plans we think we need to make, things we need to remember, etc. This type of constant thinking is a source of stress and anxiety, which is a driving factor for substance abuse. Through mindfulness, we can begin to tune out the stress and stay focused, calm, and make the right decisions.

Identify your “Inner Voice”

When you first become sober, it takes time to learn to relax without drugs or alcohol. One technique that helps start a mindful practice is to “label” or “name” the thoughts or emotions that take us away from our sobriety and peace.

Assign labels to your thoughts as they happen, like;

“Worrying”
“Craving”
“Romanticizing the drugs”
“Ignoring the consequences”

As you practice, you’ll notice that the more you label your thoughts, the less you’ll actually engage in them. It takes some time, but soon enough, you’ll learn to recognize what your brain is doing, and you will find it easier to return to the present moment.

Decrease Stress

This might be the most common benefit associated with mindfulness, and it can be felt immediately when beginning to practice. Basically, this ties into the first two we mentioned. The more we calm down our mental chatter and identify what type of thoughts are in our head (worry, planning, thinking, etc.), the more we will feel at ease. Calm your mind down and simply observe thoughts instead of engaging with them. This helps maintain Long-Term Sobriety since you’ll learn to identify when cravings creep up, then refocus your thoughts as the cravings pass (like clouds.)

Creating a “Healthy Lifestyle” Habits

Our brain relies on patterns. For people with substance use disorders, there are specific patterns that ended in drug use. By being mindful, you will create new, healthier habits and relearn new thinking patterns that will guide you from the previous thoughts and patterns that led to substance abuse

Support groups teach you that it takes 27 days to break a habit, and a critical method to maintaining sobriety is to replace your old habits with new ones. While you’re in the process of rebuilding your life, why not pick up some habits that will benefit you in the long run? Exercise, create art, master a skill, engage your brain in new ways to maintain Long-Term Sobriety and leave the old habits behind.

Check-in with Yourself Daily. Stay focused.

A mindful practice is best done regularly. Set small but achievable goals concerning conscious behaviors and practice them regularly. I find that even ONE minute of mindful meditation can have a very positive effect. This effect is multiplied if that one minute is done a few times a day. Your brain chemistry reacts by releasing endorphins when you set a goal and complete it.

All the accumulated new time you have on your hands that was previously spent doing drugs or being high can now be repurposed as a time to check in on your mental state, find some inner peace, stop disruptive mental chatter, and set yourself up for a better day.

Refresh your Environment, Refresh Your State of Mind

As fragile and new age as it may sound, meditation creates a new state of mind for us to default to. After becoming sober and through all the previous points outlined above, you will find yourself quite literally living a brand new life. In this new headspace, the previous habits you had will no longer fit. All that will remain are the new, more positive, and supportive habits you will create. A change of scenery can support this new mentality and can be applied in big and small ways, from spending some more time outdoors to moving away to an entirely new city. A new environment, along with a new mindset, can feel like a breath of fresh air after you’ve been suffocating.

Saying Goodbye and Making Peace with the Old You

Techniques, like the ones we went over in this article, in combination with counseling, detox, and support groups (like 12 steps), will help you build a new identity that is more in line with your mission to maintain Long-Term Sobriety. Through the practice of tuning in and being mindful, a significant change happens; your new habits, mentality, and thoughts will have you feeling like a brand new person.

When you’re able to just be present at the moment, you’ll even learn to recognize the thoughts of your “old self.” By labeling thoughts and emotions, you will be able to identify when you’re in your former self’s mindset, which would lead to drug abuse, and stop the thinking in its tracks. Then, all you have to do is take a deep breath, label the thought, say “No thanks,” and move on. The views of your “old self” will pass by, just like clouds.

Letting go of who you think you are and embracing your new lifestyle is exciting, but it’s a long process that takes a lot of support and discipline. Through treatment programs, like Anchored Tides Recovery Center, you will develop skills and a support system of like-minded people to encourage you through the process.

We’re in this together. If you have any mindfulness techniques that help move you towards a better life, leave a comment below. If you’re ready to take steps towards a healthy new life, call us to talk to one of our care coordinators.

Say hello to healing and a new you.

Addiction Recovery Addiction recovery Resources Sobriety Women in Recovery

The Impact of Heroin Addiction on Mothers and Children

Many people don’t realize how their personal choices impact the people around them. In treatment settings, we have seen families destroyed by addiction; the victims are not always the people who are dealing with the illness. The victims become the loved ones who are most vulnerable. Addiction stems from many sources. Growing up in a toxic environment, sexual trauma, emotional abuse, genetics, peer pressure, etc. For many people, addiction is just in their blood. But there needs to be a catalyst event to turn addictive personalities into people with substance use disorder. How come so many people get hooked on heroin? The risks and dangers are well known; it’s common knowledge that heroin ruins lives. What leads people to take that first step to heroin addiction, then?

The Opioid Epidemic

Believe it or not, Medical Doctors (MD) are often the cause for most heroin addictions. A car accident, fall, or medical procedure leaves a person in a lot of pain; a doctor then will prescribe an opiate medication to make them comfortable. The medicine may do its job and take the pain away, but what happens next? Opiates are highly effective and highly addictive; for this reason, they only get prescribed in limited amounts. It doesn’t take long for your body to become addicted to an opiate. You can quickly develop a dependence, and opiates are known to have some of the most severe withdrawal symptoms of any drug. You may finish the pills you were prescribed but still be in pain. Now you’re also dealing with extreme discomfort from opiate withdrawal. The combination of pain and extreme discomfort will often cause a person to try to get more pills, legally or illegally. Pain pills are difficult to come by, and without a prescription, they can be costly. These obstacles result in people turning to heroin. Heroin is still an opiate, so it has many of the same effects, but it’s a lot cheaper and easier to get. Who knew “back pain” would lead to so many people snorting and injecting heroin?

Heroin Use in Pregnancy

In 2019, about %7 of pregnant women reported using prescription opioid pain relievers. Of those, 1 out of 5 reported abuse (meaning they got them from a source other than a medical supplier or used them for reasons other than pain relief.) Women face unique issues when it comes to addiction and substance abuse. Studies show that women who use drugs can have problems related to:

Hormones
Menstrual cycle
Fertility
Pregnancy
Breastfeeding
Menopause

Issues become more complicated when the user is pregnant. Heroin use in pregnancy can increase the risk of:

Miscarriage
Migraines
Seizures
High blood pressure
Maternal death

Those are only the effects of the mother. Opiate abuse while pregnant, for unborn babies, has been linked to:

Substance abuse disorder
Poor fetal growth
Preterm birth
Stillbirth
Birth defects
Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS)

Basically, babies born to heroin-addicted mothers are babies born addicted to heroin.

Babies born addicted to Heroin?

Just like adults, babies can have drug dependencies. While pregnant, the fetus shares the mother’s internal resources. If a mother is putting heroin into her bloodstream, the baby is getting heroin into their bloodstream too. After the baby is born, it may experience withdrawal symptoms. Your baby will need to stay in the hospital for five to seven days after being born so the medical staff can monitor it for withdrawal symptoms (NAS). The severity of a newborn child’s withdrawal symptoms depends on the length and frequency of the mother’s drug use and if the child was delivered prematurely.

Withdrawal Symptoms on Babies Born to Heroin-Addicted Mothers

Symptoms of drug withdrawal in a newborn can develop immediately or up to two weeks after birth and can include:

Blotchy skin coloring
Diarrhea
Irritability / excessive or high-pitched crying
Abnormal sucking reflex
Fever
Seizures
Hyperactive reflexes
Stuffy nose and sneezing
Slow weight gain
Sweating
Trembling
Vomiting

Defects of babies born to heroin-addicted mothers could be long-term or even fatal:

Low birth weight
Premature birth
Small head circumference
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)

When you are pregnant, treatment aims to mitigate withdrawal symptoms, as they can be harmful to your baby. Methadone or Buprenorphine can help ease symptoms, but your baby may still be born experiencing withdrawal symptoms. Children born to mothers who use heroin beyond the first trimester have a 12x greater risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) than those unexposed or only exposed in the first trimester of pregnancy. You have to be extremely careful about your health and well-being during pregnancy, not just to protect your life but the other life inside of you.

Growing up with a heroin-addicted mother

When you are a Mother with a heroin addiction, the roles end up being switched. Your child may be the one who has to take care of you. Children are often manipulated by their mothers when addiction is a factor. They can be asked to get drugs, steal, lie, and cover-up. The sad part is, they think they are helping. They may bear witness to some very traumatic events. They call 911 when you are lying on the ground unresponsive. They cry because they thought that was going to be the last time they saw you. They miss you when you are in rehab. They feel like they are to blame when you relapse. They lose trust and faith in you.

Effects

What does this pattern of behavior do to this child?

Disappointment
Fear
Anxiety
Emotional trauma
Physical trauma
Curiosity

Amongst all the negative hurt feelings, there is also a sense of exploration and experimentation. Frequently, behavior that is seen is repeated. That is why there is no surprise that children of heroin-addicted mothers are likely to develop addictions or other mental health issues of their own.

Breaking the Cycle

Loving someone and who is addicted to heroin is challenging. People need to accept help, and you can’t do it for them. You can still love someone without enabling them. Create boundaries, provide resources, say “no” to any requests that support drug use, and use available resources for yourself. Prioritizing your own mental health is critical. If you don’t, the whole family suffers, and ultimately more damage can be done. If you do not have your health or sanity, how can you show strength for the one who needs support? Do you know someone who suffers from heroin addiction? Are you that Mother or child? Being open and talking can help. Many times we bottle up our feelings when we need to express them and embrace them. Anchored Tides believes that sharing your experiences in the right environment encourages growth, so we created a gender-specific place where women can heal. We’re not your typical women’s treatment program. Formed in 2016, we offer women struggling with substance abuse and mental illness a haven at our Huntington Beach drug rehab in Southern California. Take a tour of our boutique women’s addiction treatment center in Orange County. Don’t wait any longer. Call us to talk to a healthcare professional.

Addiction Treatment Program Women in Recovery Women's addiction treatment

Why You Should Meditate in Addiction Recovery

Overcoming addiction comes with its own challenges and can be particularly stressful if you are just beginning your journey to recovery. Dealing with the urge to use, cleaning up the messes you made while using, and rebuilding broken relationships is no walk in the park. Anchored Tides puts a big emphasis on developing skills to help you deal with real-life struggles at the beginning of recovery. One of the best coping mechanisms we’ve found so far is meditation and we make sure to include it in our treatment programs.

What is Meditation?

This is a complementary and alternative approach to mainstream addiction recovery services like group counseling and psychotherapy. It is a general body and mind connection practice that focuses on inducing serenity and relaxation to improve both mental and physical health. Anyone can take part in meditation irrespective of your religious or spiritual life. There is no set of time for meditators but beginners can start with a few minutes and then advance to longer sessions.

The practice focuses on the physical sensations, mindfulness, awareness of present feelings and surroundings. It also involves the mindfulness of accepting thoughts and feelings as they are. This is particularly effective in helping individuals fighting addiction to thinking about sobriety, prevent relapse, and ultimately lead to addiction recovery.

Benefits of Meditation

Aside from promoting inner peace, calmness, increase self-awareness and proper mental functioning, meditation also improves mindfulness which helps decrease cravings and aid recovery. Practicing mindfulness means that you are in control of your attention. You are taking the role and attitude of an observer of what you are doing and feeling.

Improves Resilience

Individuals dealing with addiction are among the most resilient people you will ever come across. Bouncing back to a healthy, quiet, drama free, sober life, and adapting to the new changes is not easy – even for the most dynamic individuals. It takes patience, persistence and strong will to recover fully. Meditation helps you cultivate massive levels of resilience. It helps you become more mindful of your fears, anxiety, and pain. Frequent practice helps reduce and manage stress levels.

Acceptance

Too often we get down on ourselves and doubt our abilities to live a happy, sober life. The addiction recovery journey can be more difficult if you remain too hard on yourself. Since meditation focuses on attentiveness and observation to your own feelings and thoughts, it is much easier to learn, watch, and be patient with your emotions and self. The more you practice, the more you get to know yourself. You’ll also learn to treat yourself better and exercise some patience and acceptance as you would on other people who are in the same situation.

Improves your overall health

Meditation focuses on body and mind connection. That means it also focuses on your physical and mental health. When you discover self-awareness, you embrace sobriety and realize that you can actually cope with life challenges without alcohol or drugs.

Your anxiety and stress levels lower through the practice of meditation which can prevent lifestyle-related illnesses such as high blood pressure, stroke, and heart conditions. Aside from reducing anxiety and stress some health benefits gained from meditation include reducing your chance of depression, which is common in individuals battling addiction.

Improves your attention span

Meditation and being mindful means thinking about what and how it is right now and not worrying about the past or the future. You are concentrating on your present and the positive things in it. Practicing mindful meditation means taking time to enjoy the current moment as it is. We can’t fix the past and we can’t control the future, all we have is the present moment. Focusing on the present improves your attention span and allows you to enjoy the little things in life. Becoming more attentive will also help you strengthen or repair broken relationships.

Start meditating

While meditation and addiction would never be used in the same sentences a few decades ago, research has now proved that it is the new recovery agent to addiction. If you have cravings, feel depressed, or are stressed, practice meditation. It’s free and you can do it anywhere!

Anchored Tides Recovery Wants to Help

We want to help you get sober and stay sober. Reach out to us today with any questions you may have regarding our program. We’re happy to talk about all of the resources we provide women seeking sobriety. You can do it!

Addiction Recovery Addiction recovery Resources Addiction Treatment Addiction Treatment Resources Women in Recovery

The Top Five Most Influential Women in Recovery

For those who struggle with addiction, substance abuse, and other mental health disorders, it is easy to feel isolated. After all, many people who see others going through addiction believe that this can never happen to them. For young women who battle these issues, the situation can be that much more difficult. Often, substance abuse in women develops as a side effect of prior traumas or bad relationships that drove someone into the arms of addiction in the first place.

It is critical for women to know that they are not alone. There are countless others who have been there and many of them end up recovering. There are even powerful, successful, and influential women who have gone through recovery and succeeded on the other side. There are several stories that women can turn to for inspiration.

Jada Pinkett Smith

Jada Pinkett Smith is an incredibly successful actress from Baltimore; however, she did not always star in movies. She lived in a terrible part of the city with a single mother who was addicted to drugs in the midst of an epidemic. At 11 years old, she was very much on her own, as her mother was under the influence and unable to help her.

Jada Pinkett Smith ended up as a drug dealer in the 1980s; however, she also suffered from alcoholism. She never learned to say no to alcohol and drugs and began to drink on a nightly basis. She says that she did this to try to numb the pains of her childhood.

Eventually, Jada Pinkett Smith sought help for substance abuse. It was a long road to recovery, but she has now been sober for more than 20 years. She reminds us all that sobriety is not a destination but a journey.

Demi Lovato

Demi Lovato is one of the most recognizable stars from the Disney Channel. She starred in Camp Rock, which came out in 2008. She became immersed in a successful music career and has served as an inspiration to many; however, it is not her entertainment skills that are the focus. It is her journey back to sobriety.

Demi Lovato started using drugs during her Disney days. She was partying, drinking, and doing drugs in an effort to self-medicate and deal with the emotional stresses of her job. She was using cocaine hourly. Eventually, Demi Lovato went on to seek help. She navigated her way through recovery and was able to return to her career. She has now been sober for five years and performed the national anthem at the Super Bowl.

Jamie Lee Curtis

Jamie Lee Curtis is one of the most recognizable actresses in history. She underwent a surgical procedure decades ago. Sadly, after this procedure, she became addicted to painkillers. When she went a while without opioids, she started to develop cravings and knew she was going to end up in withdrawal. Therefore, she knew she needed to get help. Addiction ran in her family and she lost a brother to heroin abuse.

Eventually, Jamie Lee Curtis got the help she needed. She was able to achieve sobriety once again and returned to her acting career and now works with anti-drug organizations in an effort to raise awareness of the epidemic.

Mary J. Blige

Mary J. Blige is one of the top R&B artists of all time. Many have even called her the queen of hip hop and soul. Mary J. Blige had her own issues with both mental health and substance abuse. She says that her addiction problems came from a traumatic childhood. She was sexually abused and had numerous dark moments. This led to the development of drug addiction. She was high on cocaine and drinking heavily during the early days of her career. She was able to seek help from trained professionals and learned from Whitney Houston’s journey. Today, she is sober. She carries on in the memory of Whitney Houston, one of her great idols.

Kristin Davis

The star of Sex and the City has also had a long battle with substance abuse. In 2008, she revealed that she is a recovering alcoholic. She started drinking as a teenager in an effort to medicate her social insecurities and get through her parents’ divorce. She drank to fit in, but it grew into an addiction. Now, she shares her journey with everyone. She encourages people to recognize the signs of addiction early on. The sooner people get help from the professionals, the faster they can recover.

Call Anchored Tides Recovery Today

At Anchored Tides Recovery, we are a drug abuse and addiction treatment program designed specifically for women. We work hard to provide the latest treatment resources to every woman who comes to see us for help. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you.

Addiction Addiction Recovery Addiction recovery Resources Women Women in Recovery

The Power of Gender Specific Needs

friends-during-womens-addiction-treatment-orange-county

Substance abuse, along with mental health disorders, will affect each gender differently. There are studies that show treatment has a better success rate when programs are tailored to gender-specific needs. These programs can remove some of the barriers and distractions that can arise from being around members of the opposite sex. It allows clients to feel more focused and comfortable and recover around peers of the same gender, allowing them to relate over experiences that are specific to gender.

Barriers to seeking addiction treatment are usually gender-specific. Women and men can have different feelings when it comes to treatment, how the disorder affects the body and the stigma that is associated with treatment and substance abuse. Women are more likely to feel guilty for seeking addiction help and those feelings can create a bigger barrier to treatment. Women are also more likely to have experienced trauma leading to substance abuse or mental health disorders. Due to this, women need to undergo trauma-informed care. By choosing a gender-specific treatment, it gives a setting that is supportive, sensitive, and non-discriminatory. Women may be more unlikely to develop drug and alcohol problems but when they do, the process is usually quicker. Women tend to enter treatment programs with more severe medical, social, behavioral, and psychological problems. This has implications on the needs of treatment.

There is a difference when it comes to gender and sex in regard to substance abuse. For example, men have an enzyme that breaks down alcohol in the liver and stomach and due to this, men don’t absorb as much alcohol in the bloodstream. This means a man’s alcohol concentration will likely be lower than a woman’s.

It Removes Expectations

Addiction recovery requires that you be vulnerable. Many women find it easier to be vulnerable and speak more candidly about the issue they are facing while in the presence of members of the same sex. There is no need to put up a façade to cover up feelings when you are with other women.

Fosters Honest and Open Discussions

An honest discussion about life’s highs and lows will help women understand they aren’t alone in the experience. Gender-specific addiction treatment reduces the shame and judgment and leads to more understanding and compassion. Many people will feel uncomfortable discussing traumatic and painful life experiences in a mixed group. It’s easier to feel comfortable around people that are similar to you. Feeling safe and comfortable in addiction recovery is important since true healing will only happen if you make yourself vulnerable and share your experiences.

It Reduces Distractions

The main benefit of addiction treatment is that it allows people to focus solely on getting better. When there are other genders then there are distractions, such as romantic ones. Although a romantic relationship can serve as a welcome distraction from what you are going through, it can actually be a distraction that takes the focus off of what you really there for. When women are with women, it reduces the need to keep up with appearances and feel the need to impress the opposite sex. For many, the gender-specific addiction treatment gives one less distraction so the focus is on just healing.

Focus on Gender-Specific Issues

Both women and men face pressures related to work, family, self-esteem, and relationships but those pressures can be different. With gender-specific addiction treatment, clients are surrounded by others who know from personal experience and what it is like to experience addiction as a woman, along with dealing with cultural and societal pressures. Clients are able to focus on a woman’s experience instead of having to split focus. For example, in women’s specific treatment, topics can include pregnancy, motherhood battles, and past trauma.

Creates a Safe Environment

Without a safe environment, treatment won’t be as successful. If a woman has suffered trauma caused by a man then they will not feel comfortable sharing in groups with men. Mothers who have an addiction will benefit from sharing expenses with other mothers since women are usually the caretakers of the family and home. It can be hard to be away from children but with the support of others like them, women are able to share in these experiences.

It Helps with Bonding

With gender-specific treatment, women can bond over shared experiences. There is also the opportunity to bond over new ones. Having a strong peer network is important for maintaining sobriety and preventing relapse after treatment. Gender-Specific treatment can incorporate activities that strengthen necessary connections outside of traditional group therapy.

Importance of Women’s Treatment Programs

Since women in addiction treatment are more likely to have experienced physical or sexual abuse, there is power in women recovering together. Women in treatment are less likely to have a high school diploma or employment. Women are also more likely to have to deal with childcare and the complications of drug or alcohol use during pregnancy.

If you or a loved one you know are struggling with addiction, reach out to us at Anchored Tides Recovery.

Addiction Addiction Recovery Recovery Women Women in Recovery