2010-07-30T13:59:00.001-07:00

Lindsay Lohan headed to Rehab Orange County http://ping.fm/HDl86 from @HarveyLevinTMZ

2010-07-30T11:33:00.001-07:00

Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get. - Dale Carnegie

2010-07-19T16:30:00.001-07:00

I never teach my pupils; I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn. - Albert Einstein

2010-07-07T10:09:00.001-07:00

The most important thing is this: to be able at any moment to sacrifice what we are for what we could become. - Charles Du Bos

2010-07-05T10:12:00.001-07:00

Blessed are the cracked, for they shall let the light in.

2010-07-01T10:32:00.001-07:00

It is one of the most beautiful compensations of life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself. - Emerson

2010-06-30T13:31:00.001-07:00

The greatest good you can do for another is not just share your riches, but reveal to them their own. - Disraeli

2010-06-29T11:04:00.001-07:00

"The only Zen you find on the tops of mountains is the Zen you bring up there. - Robert M. Pirsig

2010-06-28T15:04:00.001-07:00

Held Hostage: One Mother's Story... http://wp.me/pTczq-7Z

2010-06-28T13:11:00.001-07:00

"You talk when you cease to be at peace with your thoughts..." Kahlil Gibran

2010-06-28T10:39:00.001-07:00

The whole point of being alive is to evolve into the complete person you were intended to be. - Oprah

2010-06-24T09:01:00.001-07:00

â€œI believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge, myth is more potent than history, dreams are more powerful than facts, hope always triumphs over experience, laughter is the cure for grief and love is stronger than deathâ€

2010-06-23T09:30:00.001-07:00

When you do nothing, you feel overwhelmed and powerless. But when you get involved, you feel the sense of hope and accomplishment that comes from knowing you are working to make things better.

2010-06-22T10:33:00.001-07:00

I always knew looking back on my tears would bring me laughter, but I never knew looking back on my laughter would make me cry. - Cat Stevens

2010-06-21T13:13:00.001-07:00

Generosity is giving more than you can, and pride is taking less than you need. - Kahlil Gibran

2010-06-21T10:14:00.001-07:00

"Nobody realizes that some people expend tremendous energy merely to be normal." - Albert Camus

2010-06-18T15:13:00.001-07:00

Check out the gallery of our new sober living for women! http://ping.fm/EPZul

2010-06-18T10:57:00.001-07:00

"It is never too late to be what you might have been." -George Eliott

"I'd like to thank my psychiatrist."

2010-06-18T10:35:00.000-07:00

2010-06-17T16:27:00.001-07:00

Think You're Alone in Addiction? http://wp.me/pTczq-63

2010-06-17T11:26:00.001-07:00

"Consider how hard it is to change yourself and you'll understand what little chance you have in trying to change others." -Jacob M. Braude

Recovery Month

2010-06-16T15:05:00.000-07:00

Recovery Month

All families face challenges at some point. Common troubles include illness, death in the family, marital strain, financial problems, internal conflicts, and emotional or physical abuse.¹ These obstacles create stress that can contribute to increased alcohol and/or drug use. If sustained, this may contribute to an addiction.² Alcohol and/or drug addiction is often a perpetual cycle among families, and this document discusses addiction’s affect on families, the benefits of recovery, and resources that can help.³

Children of parents who suffer from alcohol or drug addiction are four times more likely to develop a substance use disorder than those who weren’t raised in that environment.⁴ Additionally, 1 in 4 children under 18 live in a home where alcohol misuse or alcohol addiction is hurting the family. Many thousands more live with parental drug abuse.⁵ To draw attention to this issue, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA’s) Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT), within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, celebrates National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month (Recovery Month) every September. Recovery Month celebrates individuals and families in long-term recovery and acknowledges those who provide recovery services. This year’s theme, “Join the Voices for Recovery: Now More Than Ever!,” emphasizes the need to reach all people who are susceptible to alcohol and/or drug use and relapse during times of stress.

Effects of Substance Use Disorders on the Family and the Benefits of Recovery

The stress triggered by substance use disorders can have physical, emotional, social, and spiritual consequences on individuals and their families. Specifically, a parental substance use disorder greatly affects his or her children. Children who grow up in this environment often experience feelings of guilt, shame, anger, or isolation throughout their lives.⁶ Additionally, parents with a family history of addiction may have trouble establishing healthy and productive habits within their own families.⁷

If highly stressful family situations persist, they can have an adverse impact on a child’s development and dangerous health consequences for the family and friends of the person with the substance use disorder.⁸ This emotional stress can affect a person’s mood, appetite, and sleep cycles. In addition, it may ultimately lead family members to develop chronic anxiety, depression, or their own substance use disorder.⁹ Creating communities that focus on the prevention of mental illness and substance abuse for children, youth, families, and other community members is one of SAMHSA’s 10 Strategic Initiatives.

Fortunately, family therapy helps those affected by a loved one’s addiction to identify and resolve their problems. Through education and guidance, participants learn they can’t control their loved one’s addiction, but they can take accountability for their own health.¹⁰ Family-oriented treatment programs and support groups are widely available and effective. In two recent surveys of individuals who had participated in family treatment programs:

82 percent reported much improved mental health and well-being.¹¹
73 percent reported a greater ability to function at home, school, or work.¹²
68 percent of women who stayed in comprehensive treatment longer than 3 months were able to remain alcohol and drug free, compared with 48 percent who left treatment within the first 3 months and did not remain alcohol and drug free.¹³

How to Get Help for Yourself, Your Family, and Others

A variety of options are available to help facilitate recovery. An abundant amount of information and resources exists on the Recovery Month Web site at http://www.recoverymonth.gov, including “The Social Services System: Supporting Treatment and Recovery for Individuals and Families” television and radio program. This program examines ways in which social services effectively deliver assistance to those in need, including children and families with substance use disorders.

Family members and friends can find supplementary treatment and recovery information through the following resources:

SAMHSA’s National Helpline – Accessed by calling 1-800-662-HELP, or 1-800-487-4889 (TDD), the Helpline provides 24-hour free and confidential information and treatment referrals in English and Spanish.
SAMHSA’s “Find Substance Abuse and Mental Health Treatment” Web site – This Web site contains resources about mental health, substance abuse, and treatment.
Al-Anon/Alateen Family Groups – This Web site provides support groups for families and friends of people with alcohol problems.
Nar-Anon – This group provides a community for family members to share experiences related to substance use disorders.
National Association for Children of Alcoholics – This organization provides information and educational materials for children and families of people with alcohol or drug problems, as well as for treatment professionals.

Click here for a more in-depth version of this guide for families.

Information about treatment options and special services in your area can be found by calling 1-800-662-HELP or 1-800-487-4889 (TDD), as well as at http://www.samhsa.gov/treatment.

Inclusion of Web sites and other resources mentioned in this document and on the Recovery Month Web site does not constitute official endorsement by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services or the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Sources

Family Therapy: Healing Family Conflicts. Mayo Clinic Web site: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/family-therapy/MY00814. Accessed September 11, 2009.
Problems Arising From Drug Abuse. eHow.com Web site: http://www.ehow.com/about_5381571_problems-arising-drug-abuse.html . Accessed December 16, 2009.
Addiction and Family Treatment Programs. ProjectKnow Web site: http://www.projectknow.com/addiction-recovery/addiction-and-family-treatment-programs.html. Accessed September 14, 2009.
Dayton, Tian, MA, PhD, TEP. The Set Up: Living With Addiction. The National Association for Children of Alcoholics Web site: http://www.nacoa.net/pdfs/The%20Set%20Up%20for%20Social%20Work%20Curriculum.pdf. Accessed September 10, 2009.
One in Four Children Exposed to Family Alcohol Abuse or Alcoholism. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), Press Release, 2008.
Facts on Tap: Prevention and Intervention Program for High School and College Students. Phoenix House Web site: http://www.factsontap.org/factsontap/family_substance_abuse/growing_up.htm. Accessed September 9, 2009.
Dayton, Tian, M.A., Ph. D, TEP. The Set Up: Living With Addiction. The National Association for Children of Alcoholics Web site: http://www.nacoa.net/pdfs/The%20Set%20Up%20for%20Social%20Work%20Curriculum.pdf. Accessed September 10, 2009.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Parent Program–Addiction Recovery is Stronger When Family Members are Involved. Hazelden Web site: http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/parents.page. Accessed August 23, 2009.
Member Survey Results. Al-Anon Family Groups Web site: http://www.al-anon.alateen.org/pdf/AlAnonProfessionals.pdf. Accessed September 18, 2007.
Ibid.
Benefits of Residential Substance Abuse Treatment For Pregnant and Parenting Women: Highlights From a Study of 50 Centers For Substance Abuse Treatment Demonstration Programs. Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, September 2001.

2010-06-16T09:23:00.001-07:00

"We are so accustomed to disguise ourselves to others that in the end we become disguised to ourselves."
-Francois Duc de La Rochefoucauld

2010-06-15T11:05:00.001-07:00

Thought for today...
Religion is for people who are afraid they'll go to hell. Spirituality is for people who have been there.

2010-06-14T21:54:00.001-07:00

Thought for today...
"You can be the captain of your fate, but not the master...
Or, as the old salt once said, 'God sends you the weather kid,
what you do with it & what it does with you depends on how good of a sailor you are.'"
- Nelson DeMille

Recovery for Life!

"I'd like to thank my psychiatrist."

Recovery Month

Effects of Substance Use Disorders on the Family and the Benefits of Recovery

How to Get Help for Yourself, Your Family, and Others

Sources