Tag Archives: addiction and recoverry

Involving family in weight lose

Employing family therapy or systemic therapy

Employing family therapy

Employing family therapy or systemic therapy for a speedy addiction solution

Employing family therapy or systemic therapy

When one individual is sick in the family, the whole family unit is feeling the pain and frustration. The same happens with substance abuse. Doctor Akoury is registering that when handing matters relating to addiction, several treatment approaches can be applied. This article is going to focus on one aspect of treatment known as family therapy. For a better understanding doctor Akoury is going to take us through employing family therapy also known as systematic therapy o that together we are able to join hands together in defeating the addiction menace.

Ordinarily employing family therapy is typically involving all the loved ones to the patient in finding solution to his/her addiction predicaments. It is understandable that families and those in relationships sometimes get into difficulties due to their differences, or feel the strain when loved ones have troubles. The objective of the therapy is to work on these problems expeditiously by encouraging family members and loved ones to help and empathize with each other. They are given the opportunity to understand and appreciate each other’s needs, build on family strengths and ultimately make useful changes in their lives and relationships.

Employing family therapy or systemic therapy: What is family/systemic therapy?

Systemic therapy is rooted in family therapy, a therapeutic adaptation of a larger interdisciplinary field known as systems theory.

Systems theory is a study of the complex systems present in nature, science and society, and its framework investigates and describes any group of objects that work together to produce a result. This could be a single organism such as a plant or a single human, or it could apply to a large organization or indeed a family.

While the systems theory and systemic therapy can be applied to individuals, couples and in a variety of other settings, it is most commonly practiced in a family setting, as it doesn’t seek to address people on an individual level and instead focuses on understanding problems in a contextual framework. On this page we will therefore be exploring the use of systemic therapy in a family setting.

Employing family therapy or systemic therapy: How can family therapy help?

Family therapy and systemic practice supports the notion that family relationships form a key part of the emotional health of each member within that family. This type of therapy can help people who care for each other find ways to cope collaboratively with any distress, misunderstanding and pain that is affecting their relationships and putting a strain on the family unit.

Common problems that a family therapist will work with include stressful and traumatic life events such as: divorce and separation, illness or death of a loved one, and transitional stages of family development that can cause pain and upset. Work and school-related problems, psychosexual difficulties and parent-child conflict can also be explored through family therapy.

Family therapists may also work alongside health professionals to address specific conditions such as ADHD, eating disorders, addictions, depression, and any other conditions that may be having a damaging effect on family life. This makes family therapy useful for times of crisis and long-standing problems that are taking their toll on the family.

Essentially, by evaluating these issues and providing support, family therapy can help families and individuals to:

  • Better understand how their family functions
  • Develop their communication skills
  • Identify strengths and weaknesses within the family system
  • Make the entire family unit stronger.
  • Set goals and devise strategies to resolve problems

And for more and detailed professional assistance doctor Akoury will be waiting for your call.

Employing family therapy or systemic therapy

 

Save

Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin

How addiction changes the brains communication pathways

How addiction changes the brains communication pathways: Neuronal plasticity

How addiction changes the brains communication pathways

it is a pity  how addiction changes the brains communication pathways is directly causing many a lot of suffering both physically and psychologically.

It is very interesting to study some of the things that cause problems in your life and particularly in your health. For quite some times now we have been studying the brain and how it is affected by various substances. In we deed mentioned something about the brain’s electro-chemical communication system stating that it is a communication system that sends information through a vast network of interconnecting neurons. By and by the brain begins to develop a preferred or standard pathway to send signals between neurons (neural pathways). Experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under the able leadership of doctor Dalal Akoury MD and founder of the facility can now confirm that in the past it was believed that the brain’s neural pathways will be completely formed by the time we reached adulthood. Nonetheless the recent scientific findings have established that this is a continuous process and in fact the human brain continues to create new neurons and form neural pathways throughout our entire lifespan. That is why neurons are seen as dynamic cells that are constantly adapting to changing circumstances. It therefore means that if an injury or damages happens to an individual’s brain (such as a stroke or injury) the neurons will make new communication route around the damaged area. Scientifically doctor Akoury says that this ability of recreation of neurons is known as neuronal plasticity. Nevertheless we want to focus on the response the question of the discussion that “how addiction changes the brains communication pathways”.

Doctor Akoury says that neuroplasticity is responsible for the regulation of our learning processes and this enables us to adapt to our surroundings conveniently. To better understand neuroplasticity let us consider using this illustration. The brain forms neural pathways in a way that is similar to the formation of a demarcated hiking pathway. The more we travel a path, the faster, easier, and more familiar that path becomes. As the routine continues it becomes more visible, smoother, and easier to travel on. It therefore becomes a preferred route for many. This is also how neural pathways are formed. With time the brain forms familiar neural pathways which then become habitual routes. And in the event that the familiar route is blocked the brain responds swiftly by forming a new route around the blockage. And from the illustration, suppose you walk through the bush each day to visit a friend. You use the same trail each time and one day as you travel along your familiar path, you discover a huge tree has fallen over. It’s blocking your passage. You will need to forge a new path to go around the tree. At first, this new path will be narrow, difficult, and slow. It might even be uncomfortable. However with time, it will become a well-worn, comfortable path. It will be just as easy as the original path.

How addiction changes the brains communication pathways: Substance abuse chemically altered the brain’s operations

New neural pathways are formed as addiction develops. This is because addiction chemically altered the brain’s communication system. When you take that drug away, the brain must again form new neural pathways. Just as when we had to forge a new trail in the bush, this is initially uncomfortable. Neuroplasticity explains why the initial period of recovery is difficult and uncomfortable. But we know from our hiking trail example, this difficulty is only temporary. According to the experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center this information is very helpful to know when attempting recovery. We can be successful if we preserve through this brief, uncomfortable period. Remember, it was difficult and uncomfortable to forge a new pathway around a fallen tree. The same is true for the initial period of recovery. It can be difficult and uncomfortable while these new neural pathways are forming. As long as the recovering person does not give up during this initial period of discomfort, new neural pathways will form that support recovery. These new pathways will become more established and better developed over time. As they do, recovery becomes easier and more comfortable.

How addiction changes the brains communication pathways: The effects of addictive substances on the brain

By now I believe that from the emphasis we have made about the adaptive and the dynamic qualities of our brains ensure our survival, you are somewhere as far as keeping the brain healthy is concern. The next point I want to raise on how addiction changes the brains communication pathways may be quite unfortunate. Why do I say so, it is because the brain’s ability to be so adaptive is also at the root of addiction. Doctor Akoury says that the brain has the ability to adapt not only to the harmless substances and activities but also to the strong effects of addictive drugs and activities. And when it does, there will be damaging changes happening in the brain regions which are associated with reward including the memory and emotion, decision-making and stress regulations. These changes to our brain make the repeated use of addictive substances or activities very compelling. The good news is that our brains’ neuroplasticity allows us to correct these changes! Therefore, although addiction leads to structural changes in the brain, we are capable of learning new coping skills. The brain’s plasticity allows these new coping skills to be imprinted.

Finally we will be discussing these structural changes in the next series of articles and we want to urge you not to go away but to stay with us on the link and where possible invite a friend too. In the meantime having such powerful information about the most sensitive organ in your body the brain is very helpful in keeping you healthy. I am saying so because when you know, you will not do things that will cause herm to your health, and if you have already caused an injury, then you can take measures to remedy the situation by scheduling for an appointment with doctor Dalal Akoury to professionally take your through the recovery treatment process today.

How addiction changes the brains communication pathways: Neuronal plasticity

 

Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin

The battles of Heroin Addiction in Families

The battles of Heroin Addiction in Families: The wrong choices we often make

The battles of Heroin Addiction in Families

The battles of Heroin Addiction in Families must all be inclusive. Heroin addiction is a great to every family

There are certain things that we do not because we want to but because we see our friends and relatives do. The motivation is to have the feelings they have upon using the things they use or doing what they do. In other words the sense of belonging is the reason why all these are happening. Take for instance in the world of drug addiction you will be amazed at what people do just not to be left out and in the process they find themselves into real problems not just in their health and peace of mind but also with the law enforcement agencies. Even though addiction cuts across and everyone is vulnerable, it hit the hardest at the family unit. We spoke to doctor Dalal Akoury the MD and founder of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center about the battle of heroin addiction in families and it is amazing seeing how simple desires can land us into real threats of addiction.

As a professional in this discipline doctor Akoury is going to shed some light on how influential heroin can be in your life no matter how you got introduced to it. She says that one morning while in her office a lady walked in and was very depressed. When she gave her time to share her problem she open up and poured out her heart on the battles she has with heroin addiction. For confidentiality we will call her Jimssy not her real name. Jimssy is a full-time housewife and mother and hardly fits the stereotypical picture of a heroin addict. However for the past two of her adult life, she was obsessed with getting high on heroin a passion she shared with her husband, Jim not his real name who has been battled his own addiction for over two decades now.

Jim had been struggling with heroin addiction for years when his wife joined the league of shooting up heroin. Even though Jimssy was not ignorant of the effects of heroin on her husband, she voluntarily decided to test the water one day following an advice from her friend who informed her that using heroin would significantly relieve the pain of headache and muscular pains she had suffered from epileptic seizures she has been struggling with for more than 15 years now. It is amazing how friends can be very destructive to our well-being. This friend without any consideration of the know consequences, approached her friend with the news she knew Jimssy would be interested in, that is the solution to her struggle with pain. Jimssy acknowledges that, that was her first time and regret having such a friend in her life. She goes ahead to explain that her main reason for testing the waters even though she knew the struggles her husband, was to get better, the pain was becoming unbearable. What do you think about her decision? You may suggest that under the circumstances she was justified because she was looking for solutions about her pain. Nonetheless it is still not right, every advice you get from a friend must be confirmed by a medical doctor and that is why doctor Akoury founded this facility where you can get all the professional assistance concerning your health and addiction at any time of the day.

The battles of Heroin Addiction in Families: Breaking the Boredom

Another point doctor Akoury observed from the patient is the mind set of many people about things and situations around them. Like for instance Jimssy says that besides the advice from the wrong friend, she was curious, she wanted to understand the feelings of this drug heroin, and she confesses that “I wanted to know what this was that [Jim] was doing. Why it was so attractive. And she sought the silence that if she was to try it just briefly for a few times, it won’t do her any harm and that it wouldn’t result into addiction since it is only for a few times.” That is what she thought and besides she had also heard that heroin improved sexual performance. (The seizure medications she had taken for her epilepsy had dampened her libido.) Heroin, she says, helped her feel more sexual, and that was a big attraction.

Doctor Akoury says that she had it all well planned. And in her own wisdom, to avoid getting hooked, she refrained from doing the drug for four days between uses. Then, she started doing it on the weekends “to break the boredom.” This plan may have looked brilliant, but remember that heroin is such an addictive drug and so despite her plans and to her great denial she quickly became addicted. She adds that “I saw what it had done to my husband. But I had no idea at all of the pull it had on users.” If you are listing keenly to Jimssy and you or anyone you know is struggling with any form of addiction, you can be of help first to yourself and then to the others by scheduling for an appointment with doctor Akoury today.

In the meantime Jimssy tells us that as at that time she was being introduced into drugs, she was working and earning her money from her job which was well enough to finance this new expenditure. The income helped her feed their habits and every day was such a good day because they could afford for more drugs. But it also caused strife in their relationship. They would share their drugs, and Jimssy says, the pull of addiction quickly introduced an enemy in their relationship, the enemy known as mistrust. They longer had trust for each other. She feared sending him alone to buy drugs with her money because he would take more than his share on the way home. He felt the same way about her. “It just starts eating away at your love, your partnership, the whole marriage,” she admits. Doctor Akoury reacts to this professionally and informs Jimssy that drugs will remain bad irrespective of the influence you may get from any of your friends. We will continue listening to Jimssy in our next article but for now, we must choose and choose wisely. This life we have, we can only live it once and when we still have that opportunity, then we must consult with the medical experts from time to time to have things done the right way. Talk to us today at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center and we will offer you real time solutions to all your addiction problems.

The battles of Heroin Addiction in Families: The wrong choices we often make

 

 

Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin

The contributions of Rehabilitation centers in Treating Addiction

The contributions of Rehabilitation centers in Treating Addiction: How Rehabs work

The contributions of Rehabilitation centers in Treating Addiction

The contributions of Rehabilitation centers in Treating Addiction. Your addiction problem can be treated professionally at these centers and you will get you life back

It is no secret that substance abuse is on the rise. In the same way everyone is affected in one way or the other. The question that we need to answer to is what we are doing to bring the problem to manageable levels. Of course treatment is an option and a major one for that matter. And that is why doctor Dalal Akoury while studying to understand the contributions of rehabilitation centers in treating addiction made this noble decision of creating a medical center whose main objective is to transform each individual’s life through increasing awareness about health and wellness and by empowering individuals to find their own inner healing power. In her decades of experience, Dr. Akoury’s practice focuses on personalized medicine through healthy lifestyle choices that deal with primary prevention and underlying causes instead of patching up symptoms. As an expert in addiction she explains to us the treatment process at rehab clinics for patients of all walks of life, whether the patient is a celebrity or just an ordinary person seeking for treatment.

She says that under normal circumstances, hardly a week goes by without hearing of high profile personalities like singer, or politician checking into a center to treat a drug or alcohol problem. And when a celebrity goes to rehab, it’s often to an exclusive facility with high ratings and marble baths, ocean views, and a full health resort. This are not just places that any tom dick and harry can visit for treatment. Begging the question does it therefore means that good and effective treatment is only for the rich and famous? The truth is addiction is not for a given class or status it cuts across and treatment is also the same irrespective of where you get it from. Like for instance even the outpatient’s treatment has delivered impressive result for many addicts and at a pocket friendly terms. Either way, not even the fanciest program can guarantee successful treatment. It must be appreciated that successful treatment of addiction will also requires a lifelong effort and determination by the patient to stay clean and free from substance abuse.

The contributions of Rehabilitation centers in Treating Addiction: How Rehab Works

Like I have already indicated, status is not a consideration when it comes to addiction and its mode of treatment. Whether you’re a celebrity or just a regular person, addiction treatment typically involves a similar procedures and applications some of which may include the following:

Detoxification – the dynamics of treatment may be the same and so majority of patients reporting for treatment are often checked in as an inpatient for a few days of acute stabilization. This is necessary so that they are assisted in coping with symptoms of withdrawal such as tremors, paranoia, and depression. Yet another set of patients will be assisted in dealing with the crises that brought them in to treatment like those relating to domestic problems and even legal problems.

Diagnosis – Many addicts also suffer from psychiatric problems including sleep disorders, bipolar disorder, depression, and anxiety. Some of these patients may have faced traumatic life experiences such as rape or incest. While the exact relation between these problems and substance abuse may not be clear, many addiction treatment programs link up patients with psychiatrists or therapy groups.

Cognitive therapy – This therapy helps addicts realize which life situations are most likely to trigger substance abuse. Then the addicts develop alternative plans. For example, if an addict usually drinks after arguing with a spouse, he might learn to end those fights by counting to 10 or going to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting instead of going to a bar. Addicts also learn assertive skills that help them learn how to say no to drugs or alcoholism.

Family therapy – Many programs bring family members into the program to heal damaged relationships and shore up the addict’s support network. Support from family members is very key to helping addicts stay clean over the long run. These are the people they will be staying with and their support is very important in the recovery program of the patient. Instances where family support is lucking can be very dangerous and may trigger relapse to the recovering patient.

Medication – it goes without saying that medication is very paramount in helping addicts get well and eventual quite all together. Like foe instance an FDA approved medication and Campral helps people with alcohol dependence who have quit remaining sober and staying alcohol-free. Another FDA-approved drug, Suboxone, treats addiction to opiates (including heroin and some prescription painkillers); it reduces withdrawal symptoms and cravings. Suboxone has a similar effect as methadone but is less prone to abuse.

The contributions of Rehabilitation centers in Treating Addiction: Self Determination

Finally substance abuse is real and all of us are vulnerable to being victims. Even though you can take full responsibility on your own to clear off any form of addiction, it is very important that you get professional advice from time to time from the experts. Experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under Doctor Akoury’s care will tell you that the very first step to addiction recovery even before you get to the point of choosing the professional to visit is the acknowledgement. The patient must first appreciate that he or she has a problem which needs to be fixed. Many addicts are in great denial and this in itself is a big impediment to healing. Therefore once you have accepted that you have a problem, then you can now schedule for an appointment with the experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center and doctor Dalal Akoury will up on evaluating your individual situation, and based on the evaluation findings, will register you to an appropriate treatment procedure which will help you get rid of your addiction and regain your life back living it to the fullest.

The contributions of Rehabilitation centers in Treating Addiction: How Rehabs work

 

Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin

Understanding Addiction as it is

Understanding Addiction as it is – Drug Addiction

Addiction

If only we can understand addiction as it is we would not do things that subject our health in to greater risk

There is nothing that happens without it roots, for example we all have our roots where we came from, who our parents, grandparents etc. are and so when we want to talk about us we are able to locate the roots and get into the story, in the same way the problem of addiction can also be understood from its known roots before we can talk of administering treatment. Understanding addiction will include looking at various triggers for an addiction and why some people appear to be more susceptible than others. In spite of what people say stopping an addiction is such an uphill task and many people do not understand why or how other people become addicted to drugs. It is often erroneously assumed that those who abuse drugs lack moral principles or willpower and they could stop using drugs if they want to simply by choosing to change their behavior.

The truth is that drug addiction is a complex and very complicated disease. Stopping abusing any substance is such an uphill task that takes more than good intentions or strong will. It is important to know that drugs changes the brain in ways that foster compulsive drug abuse. Nonetheless we are today luck that advancement in technology has simplified more about how drugs work in the brain and we are also aware that drug addiction can be successfully treated to help people stop abusing drugs and lead productive lives.

However before commencement of addiction treatment it is to comprehend what an addiction really is and the various factors which lead to the addiction. We can do this by looking at various triggers for an addiction and why some people appear to be more susceptible than others. Therefore:

What Is Drug Addiction?

Addiction is a chronic problem, often relapsing brain disease that causes compulsive drug seeking and use despite all known harmful consequences to the addicted persons and to people around them. When we are opting for drugs in most cases it is never done forcefully. The new user get in drugs on a willing basis, the problem that follows could be devastating in the sense that the alterations that take place in the brain over a period of time influences the addicts ability to practice self-control and hinder their will to resist intense impulses to take drugs.

Like I said we are today much more informed of the availability of treatment procedures tailored to help people counter addiction’s powerful disruptive effects. Several studies have also established that mixing addiction treatment medications with behavioral therapy is one of the best ways to ensure success for most patients. Treatment methods that are tailored to each patient’s drug abuse patterns and any co-occurring medical, psychiatric, and social problems can lead to sustained recovery and a life free of drug abuse. It is important noting that during treatment process just like any other chronic disease patients can relapse and begin abusing drugs again, when this happen, it does not indicate failure of treatment but rather it indicates that treatment should be:

  • Reinstated
  • Adjusted or that
  • An alternative treatment is needed to help the individual regain control and recover.

What Happens to Your Brain When You Take Drugs?

Drugs contain chemicals that tap into the brain’s communication system and disrupt the way nerve cells normally send, receive, and process information. There are at least two ways that drugs cause this disruption it can either happen by:

  • Imitating the brain’s natural chemical messengers and
  • Over-stimulating the “reward circuit” of the brain

Some drugs (e.g., marijuana and heroin) have a similar structure to chemical messengers called neurotransmitters, which are naturally produced by the brain. This similarity allows the drugs to confuse the brain’s receptors and activate nerve cells to send abnormal messages.

Other drugs, such as cocaine or methamphetamine, can cause the nerve cells to release abnormally large amounts of natural neurotransmitters (mainly dopamine) or to prevent the normal recycling of these brain chemicals, which is needed to shut off the signaling between neurons. The result is a brain awash in dopamine, a neurotransmitter present in brain regions that control movement, emotion, motivation, and feelings of pleasure.

The overstimulation of this reward system, which normally responds to natural behaviors linked to survival (eating, spending time with loved ones, etc.), produces euphoric effects in response to psychoactive drugs. This reaction sets in motion a reinforcing pattern that “teaches” people to repeat the rewarding behavior of abusing drugs.

As a person continues to abuse drugs, the brain get used to the irresistible surges in dopamine by producing less dopamine or by reducing the number of dopamine receptors in the reward circuit. The result is a lessening of dopamine’s impact on the reward circuit, which reduces the abuser’s ability to enjoy not only the drugs but also other events in life that previously brought pleasure. This decrease compels the addicted person to keep abusing drugs in an attempt to bring the dopamine function back to normal, but now larger amounts of the drug are required to achieve the same dopamine high an effect known as tolerance.

Long-term abuse causes changes in other brain chemical systems and circuits as well. Glutamate is a neurotransmitter that influences the reward circuit and the ability to learn. When the optimal concentration of glutamate is altered by drug abuse, the brain attempts to compensate, which can impair cognitive function. Brain imaging studies of drug-addicted individuals show changes in areas of the brain that are critical to judgment, decision making, learning and memory, and behavior control. Together, these changes can drive an abuser to seek out and take drugs compulsively despite adverse, even devastating consequences that is the nature of addiction.

Why Do Some People Become Addicted While Others Do Not?

No single factor can predict whether a person will become addicted to drugs. Risk for addiction is influenced by a combination of factors that include individual biology, social environment, and age or stage of development. The more risk factors an individual has, the greater the chance that taking drugs can lead to addiction. For example:

  • Biology – The genes that people are born with—in combination with environmental influences—account for about half of their addiction vulnerability. Additionally, gender, ethnicity, and the presence of other mental disorders may influence risk for drug abuse and addiction.
  • Environment – A person’s environment includes many different influences, from family and friends to socioeconomic status and quality of life in general. Factors such as peer pressure, physical and sexual abuse, stress, and quality of parenting can greatly influence the occurrence of drug abuse and the escalation to addiction in a person’s life.
  • Development – Genetic and environmental factors interact with critical developmental stages in a person’s life to affect addiction vulnerability. Although taking drugs at any age can lead to addiction, the earlier that drug use begins, the more likely it will progress to more serious abuse, which poses a special challenge to adolescents. Because areas in their brains that govern decision making, judgment, and self-control are still developing, adolescents may be especially prone to risk-taking behaviors, including trying drugs of abuse.

Prevention Is the Key

Drug addiction is a preventable disease. Research findings indicate that prevention programs involving social networks like families, schools, communities, and the media are effective in reducing drug abuse. Although many events and cultural factors affect drug abuse trends, when youths perceive drug abuse as harmful, they reduce their drug taking. Therefore it is important to bring in experts like Dr. Dalal Akoury who is also the founder of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center where she is offering her exclusive NER Recovery Treatment to everyone including other physicians and health care professionals through training, clinical apprenticeships, webinars and seminars. Finally besides what we get from doctor Akoury the general public needs also to be educated and in this area a collective effort from Teachers, parents, medical and public health professionals will be very essential in creating awareness that drug addiction can be prevented if one never abuses drugs.

Understanding Addiction as it is – Drug Addiction

 

 

 

Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin