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I was having a conversation with the parents of young adult who recently entered a long term drug rehab. The family told me about their fears and hopes for their son. Than they told me that one of the counselors told them they should participate in Al-anon or Nar-anon or to find a support group for themselves. The parents did not understand why they needed to get support and do “spiritual” work. They expressed and overall feeling […]
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I received a call from a mother who was disappointed that her son continued to misbehave, break rules, lie about things, and break rules while he was in treatment. The mother quickly went from disappointed and concerned to angry and upset at her son. When is he going to change? Why does he continue to act out in old behaviors? If he continues to act like this he will never change and stay sober. […]
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I received a call one afternoon from a family. The family was horrified that their son was using heroin. The parents expressed their concern that the drug was taking their son from the family and they were afraid that they would never get their son back. […]
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The whirlwind of emotions that arise sending a loved one to drug treatment is difficult to put into words. Parents of young adults have often described it as a short-lived feeling of relief crashed upon my anxiety and trepidation. Family members want to do anything they can to help, support, and make sure their loved one is safe. […]
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Blueprints for Recovery long term drug rehab. Provides scientific information about the disease of drug addiction, including the many harmful consequences of drug abuse and the basic approaches that have been developed to prevent and treat the disease. NIH Pub Number:10-5605 Published:April 2007 Revised:August 2010 Author:National Institute on Drug Abuse Science of Addiction is in […]
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My teachers have been many, and my insights are due to their tireless research and specializations. Among them are Dr. Daniel Siegel, Dr. Daniel Stern, Dr. T. Berry Brazelton, Dr. Allan Schore, Dr. Stephen Porges, Mary Main, Dr. John Bowlby, Mary Ainsworth, Sir Richard Bowlby, and the Boston Change Group. I thank all of you […]
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A resident’s experience participating in a positive peer community: “During my teenage and early adult years, I was part of the “wrong group”. Drugs and alcohol were the foundation of my friendships. Throughout my time using, there were many attempts by myself or different friends at finding recovery. Unfortunately, I would start spending my free […]
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It was 5:15 am Wednesday morning and time to hit the trails. My sponsor, Rodney, came over the night before and spent the night. Out hiking bags were packed and ready to go. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, nuts, water and the step work I completed earlier in the week. On the ride there, we […]
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I can remember picking up a guitar for the first when I was about 5 years old. Almost my whole family played either the guitar or the piano. When I was five my hands weren’t big enough to play but I would sit there and try to play, picking an odd note here and there.
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An important aspect of recovery is becoming a part of our families again, returning to our communities, and finding or reinventing meaningful work. One of the important things that Blueprints for Recovery offers their clients is a new opportunity to practice living meaningfully. Maddy Harland, editor of Permaculture magazine, recently reminded me of The Great […]
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When I first got sober I heard the saying,” My mind was a dangerous place to be alone.” The saying hit home. My mind was going a million miles a minute in every which direction. They all seemed to move in the direction that I would not be able to stay sober and that long […]
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In the spirit of Thanksgiving, one of our residents wrote a blog about his new found feelings of gratitude. I am coming up on five months of sobriety. I find myself feeling gratitude for many people, places, and things. The most important thing I am grateful for is my sobriety, without it nothing else is […]
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12 Step Recovery: Residents attend 12 step meetings regularly, work with a sponsor, complete the 12 steps and fulfill a service commitment. Experience shows that active 12 step recovery participation and understanding helps sustain recovery post formal treatment. Residents develop a strong recovery foundation they later draw upon post treatment. Through 12 step meetings, residents […]
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In the young adult drug treatment program, Blueprints For Recovery, I have been fortunate enough to attend several recovery conventions. It is always a bunch of fun and I always leave with a great sense of fellowship. There is a lot of recovery at the events. It is inspiring to see hundreds of other people […]
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Step One is the foundation of 12 step recovery. The first step clearly outlines the wreckage created by the individual’s addiction. The first step first has two main points. The first main point is the unmanageability created by the individual’s addiction. The young adult in drug rehab will begin to examine carefully how their addiction […]
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A large majority of the young adults who enter long term drug treatment suffer from anxiety. The residents often used drugs as means of reducing and managing their anxiety. Their anxiety made it difficult for them to fit in with their peers, in school, and at work. These feelings helped to mold and establish fears […]
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NEUROFEEDBACK— long term treatment’s answer to relapse 2006 Study boasts a 77% recovery rate for addicts getting Neurofeedback in Treatment It’s come to my attention, recently, that Neurofeedback has reached a “tipping point” if you will (with the general public and specifically in addiction treatment circles). This is good news to me because I have […]
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Trauma: Trauma (whether from a one-time dramatic event or from a repetitive type, stemming from childhood) causes our central nervous system (CNS) to be on high alert. Whether the event/events took place today or years ago, the brain has changed to accommodate that traumatic experience. It’s as if a robber has come into a house […]
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