Category: Addiction/Substance Misuse

BAAA

So Bill Maher and I did a presentation Wednesday night for parents at St. Gertrude about addiction. Bill is a nationally known addiction interventionist and he had spoken with the students earlier that day. The young ladies asked a lot of questions during Bill’s presentation. And, as Bill put it, they were amazing and surprisingly engaged on the topic.

Thanks to a generous alumnus who unfortunately lost a child to overdose, these students got the gift of addiction education. We are, after all, in an opiate epidemic and this is the world our kids are growing up in. Having a … Read more...

It’s not just their recovery. It’s yours, too

This is our new war. This addiction epidemic.

Nothing makes you feel so helpless– watching your loved one self destruct. You want to fix it.  But you can’t. And you may have finally realized that.

You can’t make them choose recovery. No matter how much you want it. They have to want it.

And if they do choose it. You can’t do it for them.

There are things you can do.

One is get educated on addiction. Find out as much as you can. Learn, learn, learn. Go to an education group, a support group.

It’s not … Read more...

Can you do something now to prevent young children from becoming addicts later?

I knew at an early age that Charles had the predisposition for substance abuse disorder. I was, however, unaware of a family history of depression and anxiety. And until recently, I never knew any family members had attempted suicide.

The diagnosis of ADHD apparently increases the risk of illegal drug use by three times and Charles had that. So already, he was in a high risk category.

At the point I started to feel he was the type to get into drugs later, I thought I could change that course and I dove head first into that cause. Given the … Read more...

Overdose heart 2017— #griefheart number 260

Overdose heart 2017
Overdose heart 2017

From top right and around: Chaney Corley, died by suicide from overdose; Joshua Hasnas, overdose (possible suicide), Garret Holman; overdose, Billy Derr, overdose; John Henry Watkins, overdose; Marshall Colglazier, overdose; Dawson Pettit, overdose; Josh Kaski, overdose. Center: My first cousin’s second-born, Reece Haigh; overdose, and a friend of Charles’s, Blake Pearce; overdose.

Not pictured as I did this heart in 2017: Mike Stewart; drug-related accident or possible suicide, and DJ Viglis; suicide by overdose.

August 31 is Overdose Awareness Day and this #griefheart is in memory of those who have died from an overdose.

These … Read more...

Even if you relapse, we love you

fall off the wagon

You have felt worthless.

Others have treated you like trash.

The criminal justice system treats you as criminals.

Society has labeled you a throwaway.

I believe that lack of support and compassion has fed the epidemic and contributed to your feelings of low self worth.

Typically those with addiction struggle with self esteem. You feel deeper than most and often it comes with mental illness.

Behavior makes this disease more complex.

Here’s the thing

This disease is awful but it comes with gifts. Gifts you are not aware of.

Often those who suffer have talents we often take for granted. … Read more...

I have a son that just hit 2 years clean

by Anonymous Mom in North Carolina

2 years clean and sober

I know they can go back, with triggers and all the other life stuff he can easily go back!

It’s a nightmare being a mother worrying with daily fear of where my son is and if he is safe–with sleep deprivation and riding the roads at night! I don’t know why one child survives and another one doesn’t, but I do know when everyone was telling me to kick my son out because of his behavior– stealing from us and raging with every lie why he needed money!

I just couldn’t.

I cried, pleaded, … Read more...

Resources for mental illness and suicide prevention in Virginia

crisis lines

Updated: 01/04/2019. Report broken links or new phone numbers here.

If you or someone you know is experiencing an emergency, call 911.

You can download this pdf with the numbers/info you see on this page.

Please double check as these numbers may have changed.  If you see an error or want to add your crisis emergency number or nonprofit in Virginia, please do. This is concentrated in central Virginia with some statewide resources.

CMHRC– Children’s Mental Health Resource Center – 804-828-9897

This is an 8am-4pm call service to match child’s age, insurance with who has openings … Read more...

Letter to that child still struggling with addiction

wishbone

Dear Addiction Sufferer,

I want you to know that even though you are struggling, maybe even using, you are loved. That last time you relapsed, you think you saw disappointment on our faces.

But that’s not what that emotion was. It was not disappointment.

It was worry. Morbid fear. And helplessness.

We want to understand relapses are part of the disease and part of recovery. That’s so easy to say and we try. Emotionally we are crushed because we are afraid you are going to die. That fear never leaves us at any point. We watch friends of yours die. … Read more...

A crazy post about name calling

I don't like to be called chicken

Drug addict, junkie, crack head, coke whore, druggie, doper, pill popper, dope fiend, stoner, tweaker, bag bitch.

Crazy, psycho, bat shit crazy, cuckoo, fucked up, cray-cray, dodgy, lunatic, demented, nutty, loony, demented, off his rocker, mad, unhinged, loco.

These are phrases we use to refer to those suffering from mental illness and substance use disorder.

I’ve even heard people who’ve been affected by either or both refer to someone else with the disease with these phrases.

I’ve heard it from doctors referring to patients they’ve treated.

I’ve heard it from mental health professionals.

I’ve heard it from those in the … Read more...

My love affair with heroin ended with recovery–by Honesty Liller

by Honesty Liller

I sit here today with 10 years of recovery from a Substance Use Disorder and I feel unbelievable gratitude of how my life has changed.

Starting drug use at age twelve wasn’t a typical twelve year old’s life in my hometown. The first time I used, I felt free, happy, and had no cares. And once I found heroin at age seventeen, my life spun out of control.

I fell in love with Heroin

It was the love that I needed to fill a void that was in my soul for years.

It was a warm, slow, … Read more...

Suffering from depression. Addicted to pornography

infograph

From Anne Moss: Jason is in his early 20s and is from Chicago. He and I were emailing back and forth for a few weeks earlier this year. I emailed him recently to follow up and see how he was doing since I’d not heard from him in a while. The first time he wrote me, he had been suffering suicidal thoughts and found this blog because of his sleep issues. Lack of sleep does contribute to depression and thoughts of suicide.

Although he says here is is struggling, I believe he has made amazing progress. He’s told his family, … Read more...

I have been clean for 4 months, 1 week, and 5 days

by Kendall Baker

The counter on my phone counts it for me down to the seconds, which, at the moment of this writing is rolling over to 11,472,931.

The counter is one of those little things that keeps me going in moments where I really want to throw in the towel–moments where I’m so desperate for relief that I debate whether it might be worth it to reset that clock. Of course, I’ve reset that clock enough times to know that it’s never worth it.

The crushing shame that comes with hitting the reset button should be enough to keep … Read more...

If it were called heroin, would a doctor prescribe it?

heroin rx

Drugs like Oxycontin, Vicodin, Dilaudid, Tramdol, Percocet are heroin. They are all opiates. Just because it comes to you on a prescription pad makes it no less dangerous than heroin.

What if the bottle said what it was. Heroin. Would you take it? Would you ask for it? Would you hesitate?

It starts with a prescription for pain from a surgery, people become addicted and then they turn to the much more dangerous, unregulated street heroin laced with any multitude of dangerous drugs and fillers.

But what if we did prescribe it?

Decriminalized it.

Those suffering from substance use disorder … Read more...

My father, whom I loved so much, was an alcoholic

From Anne Moss: Leslie wanted to post this with her full name but some family members were not in sync with that decision so she posted anonymously. She is a regular part of the Emotionally Naked tribe.

By Leslie

I’ve been silent for so long, I’m struggling with the words, but finding it healing.

Without treatment, addiction to alcohol is progressive and fatal, whether from liver, kidney, stomach and brain diseases, cancer, heart disease, accidents, falls or suicide. My Dad’s addiction, which grew to include the abuse of various prescription medications, took about 40 years to finally kill him at … Read more...