Monthly Archives: June 2017

What Kind of State Assistance in Florida is Available to Help Anyone Getting out of Rehab?

They say that all human emotion boils down to two base feelings: love and fear. They are both very extreme components that can be the root to any of our rational or irrational decision making. A fear of buses would give you the common sense to hop out of the way as one comes barreling at you on I-95. However, if you’re on the other side of that coin, a passionate love for buses may have you decide that jumping in front of and splattering all over the windshield was your destiny.

Fear and love lead us to strange places, but the first of the two is generally more controlling. For addicts and alcoholics, fear will drive us into a chemical dependency that will also keep us from taking the next step to better ourselves. We tend to build up these walls and create more problems than actually exist. Of those, financial is at the top of that list. Fortunately, there is State Assistance in Florida to help for such monetary issues that we use as an excuse to avoid ourselves.

Your “X” on the Map

The panhandle state, also known as Dante’s Inferno to most of us, has a lot of benefits when it comes to finding state assistance in Florida. Sure the summers are long and hot…..and the winters are long and hot, BUT it has its list of other pros and cons just like any other state.

South Florida specifically is the recovery capital of the world that has hundreds of addicts and alcoholics arriving in its airports on a daily basis. Walking down the sidewalk in a busy town like Delray Beach has it nearly impossible to avoid somebody who is in recovery. But the big question is: how did they make it work?

Collect $100 and Skip Jail

If we are fortunate enough to make it away from the dark side and be granted this opportunity for a new life, we might as well take advantage of all that is being offered to us. State assistance in Florida can be one of the key factors into keeping one’s head above water in this world full of sharks. If we’re lucky enough to get clean and not land in a pine box coffin, most of us find ourselves here in debt and needing serious fiscal help.

State assistance in Florida comes in big and small packages, but just has to be looked for. The southeasternmost state has an array of options to help those in early recovery such as pecuniary help for paying rent, utility bills, free food, medical care, and other forms that are made available. Existing options for state assistance in Florida include but are not limited to

Medicare & Medicaid
Florida Lifeline Assistance Program
Affordable Housing Programs
Florida Discount Drug Cards
Emergency Financial Assistance for Housing Program
Temporary Cash Assistance

The best part is that this list of help offerings doesn’t stop there. There are even more programs for state assistance in Florida that can tremendously help somebody in early recovery if they allow themselves to take advantage of such and are ready to come out from hiding under their rock.

Abracadabra

Life shouldn’t be as difficult as we choose to make it so much of the time. This statement couldn’t be more than true for addicts and alcoholics of course. We tend to find the thin line in things and then either try to tightrope walk over across it, or we pull out a large pair of scissors and snip away at the lines keeping us from toppling over and falling victim to life.

So even though we are professionals at making bad decisions, allowing some state assistance in Florida to help us is a start to making good choices. As mentioned previously, so many of us arrive in recovery completely broken and with flies darting out of our wallets/purses. We had enough to pay for treatment and get our IOP or halfway houses set up, but now what are we supposed to do?

State assistance in Florida has guides such as the Florida Lifeline Assistance Program that can be a determining factor in somebody being able to maintain their daily practices. For instance, FLAP helps provide and option for those in need to receive free phone or cellular service. It’s a Lifeline program(phones) that provides either a $13.50 credit per month on a phone landline bill or it will provide approximately 60 free cell phone minutes per month. None of us should be surprised that phones are now a necessity to get by in this world. State assistance in Florida makes it so that we can still get by as we try to recover the broken pieces from our previous life.

There are always a lot of variables that can depend on whether or not somebody is eligible to receive state assistance in Florida, but of course, it’s better to check than to keep things like this in the unknown. With some state assistance in Florida- the person may need to be a resident for up to a year. Then there are other timetables that make it so a person just needs to have a legal mailing address and they can sign up for whatever state assistance in Florida that they please. The options are there for a reason. For us addicts and alcoholics, it’s about utilizing the help that is offered to us.

Struggling to Find Help?

No more white knuckling it. No more grinding your teeth. No more clenching your fist. Everybody needs help and assistance of some sort in this life. We can’t make it through life completely on our own, and we damn sure can’t get completely sober on our own. Life needs help. If you or a loved one has been struggling with getting a firm grasp on sobriety and need detoxification, please call 888-481-1993 or visit www.coastaldetox.com. Our teams of specialists are waiting by to help figure out what options are best for sending your life is a comfortable direction that you can proudly stand behind.

Healthy Daily Routines to Get Into

Everything we do usually has a beginning, middle, and an end. This isn’t a way to just word fairy tales. We all come into this world more or less the same way. We start out from infancy and we travel through the years wrinkling our skin through the wear and tear as we try to figure out the meaning of life. This being said, at some point in time, everything was fresh to us. Even the things we know best and are most accustomed to today- they had a beginning. We make mistakes and hopefully learn from them or we don’t, and the world keeps spinning. Going into these mistakes, some of us find a taste for narcotics and alcohol. Maybe not a mistake at first, but once we fully immerse ourselves into our addiction and alcoholism and become void of all healthy routines- this is when the never ending list of problems has it’s beginning as well.

Eventually, it all blows up in our faces, so getting clean and introducing sobriety into the mixture is usually one of the best remedies for the nightmarish situations we so often put ourselves in. The idea is for the good times to keep rolling, but by chasing that good- we ended up creating a whole lot of bad. So we get clean and sober. We work the twelve steps. We get a sponsor, sponsees, meetings; I mean the whole nine yards. The basics sound tedious- but there’s more to creating healthy routines than shoving a big book in the face.

Left Foot Right Foot, Left Foot Right Foot

Sure, the idea of having a healthy routine seems predictable- but usually in recovery predictability is best. Most people turn away from structure- we are creatures of adaptation and look for change and thrill everywhere. This is why most try to overlook their healthy routines- or lack thereof, and their love for spontaneity. Who doesn’t love impulsivity? Randomness can be exciting for some while intimidating others. Once you get into a healthy routine of sorts, that life of impulsive decisions and discarded dreams become a distant memory of the past that you wish to no longer associate with.

Being the customary animals that we are, we look for change alterations and things that are out of the ordinary. It’s thrilling to see something you don’t get to see every day, there’s no denying that. So as addicts and alcoholics, we go overboard with this concept and rashly make decisions without thinking them completely through. This is something that tends to get most of us into a tad bit of trouble- and that’s an understatement.

Control Your Destiny

Getting a routine down that can be more or less expected every day is a winning choice move. Now nobody is saying that we all have to be black and white like robots and monotonously do the same exact thing day in and day out. Throwing a little pizzazz in there is groovy of course, but having a general healthy routine blueprint mapped out is wise. Having too much time to ourselves is usually detrimental to our recovery. How’s the saying go again, “Idle hands are the devil’s workshop”? This can be the case for anybody and not just us in recovery. It’s in our nature to be inquisitive, we just need to keep ourselves in check the best we can and follow patterns for positive behaviors.

Taking the time to process the trials and tribulations we experience will create a better relationship with self in the end usually. Understanding what makes us tick or why it is that something can evoke certain emotion out of us is something to stay on top of. Taking the time to be introspective and recognizing patterns in behavior will create room for self-improvement. Once we really begin eyeballing things in this manner, we will see that healthy routines will create the best version of ourselves that we can manufacture.

The Time Is Now

Entering recovery we decide that we’re tired of half-assing and slacking and want to raise the bar for ourselves. We want to become productive members of society that actually give back and don’t always take, take, take. We start seeing results and the 9th step promises come true as we continue to work on things like

Maintaining a job
Going to school
Going to the gym/Exercising regularly
Eating Healthy
Getting a full nights rest
Journaling
Meditating/Praying

These are the little things that we just have to put a little effort into and the reward is tremendous. Addiction is as cunning, baffling, and powerful as the big book chooses to put it. The disease will lurk in the shadows and show itself only when least expected. Creating an all around healthy routine to live by does the addict or alcoholic wonders. Picking up new hobbies such as art projects, sports, or even volunteering can be hale and hearty ways to entertain the mind and soul. Some of us were bartenders or worked in places that go against the grain of recovery, so career changes pop on the radar for some as we blindly try to discover our sober selves. In the end, whether you’re leaving a detoxification or a treatment facility, the goal is to stay conscious of your triggers and the things that will take us back out. If we can learn to not justify our actions and stick to the plan- most of us have a more than a fair shot at this recovery gig.

Day by Day

Being stuck in the misery that is active addiction is like slowly being poisoned. The worst is when you’re looking for the remedy and have no clue what to do. Addiction and alcoholism are an ugly disease that will stop at nothing to ruin anybody’s life it can. If you or a loved one has been struggling with getting a firm grasp on sobriety and need detoxification, please call 888-481-1993 or visit www.coastaldetox.com. Our teams of specialists are waiting by to help figure out what options are best for sending your life is a comfortable direction that you can proudly stand behind.

Current Relapse Rates and How to Avoid Becoming a Statistic

Looking out the window with the wind howling and it’s raining cats and dogs, there’s no doubt that life takes it toll on all that have the privilege to know life. Think about it: it’s this process of time that differs for every entity, but none the less delivers trials and tribulations all the same as we’re put to the test. The thing is that everybody and everything is tested in a different capacity. Mother Earth deals with the physical abuse human beings force onto her daily. Trees are weathered by the rain and the ozone is polluted by the chemicals but our planet still continues to find a way to keep spinning.

On this blue marble we live, we are all so unique but thrive in this life in similar manners.

I’d go so far as to say that life isn’t really fair for anybody, although some do have advantages that others may not. Vice versa- some have major disadvantages others may never have to see in their light of day. Then some of us have addiction and alcoholism lobbed at us like a hand grenade and are told to “deal” with it by life on life’s terms. Fantastic!

Addiction is this beast of a disease that poisons all healthy and rational thinking as it focuses on killing the person inflicted. The alcoholic thinking that becomes so second nature becomes the poster child for relapse rates and funeral expenses as we push off the idea of sobriety for as long as we can. There’s definitely worse things out there, but until Godzilla is reawakened, this intimidating disease frightens me enough. With relapse rates ever increasing and the opiate epidemic growing- the statistics against us are not a figment of imagination at all.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Cliches and statistics can be so obnoxious because of the time and place they get used usually. It just makes you want to roll your eyes just as far back as you possibly can in an almost exorcism like manner. However, these things exist because of their prevalence in the world.

Over the last decade, relapse rates have been feeding off the weak- taking the lives of addicts and alcoholics all over the world struggling to live above ground another day. We have this war against drugs and this opioid epidemic that are constantly getting larger as more and more people succumb to chemical dependency.

Illegal powders and tars flood the streets, liquor stores belong on every corner, and this is all the while that pharmaceutical companies are dishing out “safe” little pills to people that don’t even use or need them. The relapse rates are growing because the drug quantities and qualities are too.

Unfortunately, there isn’t really anybody specific that can be blamed directly for the rise in relapse rates and the increase of those that are set up for failure in their attempts at recovery. For many, getting clean is this messy process that may take several tries to finally get. Admitting is one thing, but accepting is a whole other ball game that will prevent relapse and thus lower relapse rates over time. The reality is that the statistics are against us and the relapse rates that do exist are real:

Heroin 90%
Cocaine 23.5%
Alcohol 90%
Marijuana 71%
Meth 88%

These are statistics based off relapse within 1-4 year period. Yes, with addicts and alcoholics just a day or a little bit of time clean is a miracle in itself. On the other hand, if this sobriety and recovery thing is done correctly, that gift of sobriety is for life if we want it to be.

This World is Yours

The relapse rates exist- yes, but the rates can, of course, be altered as progressive changes are made to prevent alcoholic thinking from taking our lives. Of course maintaining a program of some sort is always the recommended route for keeping sanity between your ears.

Some of us, of course, aren’t exactly turned on by the idea of Alcoholics or Narcotics Anonymous and what they have to provide, but the facts do remain: it works. Finding some program of anonymity and working the 12 steps are the guaranteed path to finding your way into a happy recovery. It may take time, but I guess it depends on how far one is willing to go to keep away from the misery that using brings us.

Trying to not wind up as another statistic can be a tedious chore, but it is one that is absolutely worth it. The reality of the disease of addiction is that there will always be that estranged voice in the back of our heads pushing for us to put the bottle to our lips or the needle in our arm. The big difference is a matter of how strong we allow that bellow to be. We must keep in mind that that voice is not THE voice.

Fortunately, when we start working the 12 steps and keeping ourselves in check like such, we are helping diminish the misery that is addiction as we show the positive statistics. Yes yes, this is good and all, but that doesn’t mean we are cured and that is why relapse rates exist like they do. The risk of relapse is always around the corner because there isn’t any cure for addiction or alcoholism, but only methods of dealing. Deal with it before it deals with you.

Start Somewhere

The relapse rates are as high as they are because we stand by looking clueless as our castles burn and life crumbles into ruins. Be proactive and do something to stop that way of life from taking over! If you or a loved one are struggling with chemical dependency and are ready for help, please call 866-802-6848 or visit www.coastaldetox.com. We are ready to give you any suggestions possible and set you or your loved one on a path that we can all be proud of.

The Downside to People Pleasing in Sobriety

In our current day of age, everybody wants to be accepted and be one of the “cool kids”- to a certain extent. For some, cool is a word that is completely unfamiliar. Really it’s validation of others that we crave. To be liked and even just be acknowledged is really what most of us desire at the end of the day. For most, I believe we can agree that it usually feels good to be praised and to be held in some form or high regard. To have somebody be proud of us and know we are looked upon with purpose is a very comforting feeling. We all strive for comfort in some way or another.

However, there’s a fine line to be set between people pleasing and being Mr. Nice Guy. There needs to be the separation of doing something on our own accord or doing something out of the societal pressures we face regularly. A common fear for most is disappointing or receiving the disapproval of somebody whose opinion matters to us most. Setting boundaries can be a tough thing for anybody, especially setting your own people pleasing terms and having to actually say “no” to somebody in recovery. It takes practice, but it’s better than becoming a doormat.

Drawing Your Line in the Sand

A large portion of addicts and alcoholics enter recovery and have poor self-esteem. So naturally, we enter the rooms of Alcoholics or Narcotics Anonymous and we leech onto somebody who will guide us and show us that we are not alone. For most of us, when in this position, the last thing we would ever dream of doing is upsetting those that we’re trying to fit in with still. Seeking their approval feels like a necessity to continue staying sober for some. For me, this meant people pleasing and doing things that my heart wasn’t in. This was allowing myself to be put in many situations that were bumpy, to say the least. Situations that tested my sobriety and that about pushed me back in the direction of the devilish chemicals calling my name.

When push comes to shove, staying authentic is a much more admirable characteristic. Being able to say “no” and standing your ground in early sobriety is a muscle that must be practiced. This strength will save us from ourselves and the alcoholic thinking that condones the shady places we wind up in. We forget that we got clean and entered this recovery thing for ourselves- not the selfish benefit of others.

Staying True to You

In recovery and early sobriety, establishing a new foundation of sorts is crucial. Saying no in sobriety to somebody can be nerve racking because nobody really likes to be told no. We build this up in our head as something that can make or break us. Fortunately for us, recovery is not like high school and shouldn’t ever be looked at as “what I have to do to fit in.” We fabricate people pleasing as our number one go-to in avoidance of ourselves. To put it bluntly, we love the feeling we get from kissing a little bit of ass and often times end up chasing it.

As human beings, especially as addicts and alcoholics, we always want more. We tend to want to push life to its limits and then question why it decided to bite back. At some point down the road, we stop listening to reason and any logical gumption. Our alcoholic thinking takes us and wraps us up in fear while simultaneously preventing us from realizing the other problems the people pleasing is stirring up for us. 99% of the time we are professionals at rationalizing our actions and the alcoholic thought processes that project on the walls of our best thinking. Making excuses becomes more than just a habit and before you know it, we start justifying relapses. The whole point of this recovery thing is to stay clean and avoid the miserable existence we once lived- right? Well, there are a number of things that we end up doing as we start to open the kiss ass doors- and for some reason, we never realize it until were already in it. Some things include but are not limited to

Always being pressed for time or late
Avoiding conflict and confrontation
Often feeling taken advantage of
Fear that people may stop liking you
Afraid of being viewed at as selfish or any negative manner

These are just a few of the insecurities we project onto other dues to our obsessive human satisfying ways.

Watch Your Motives

Another downside to people pleasing is how it can be abused. Time and time again you will see addicts doing this brown-nosing dance of sorts to persuade somebody into a direction that benefits them. Class A manipulation if you will. That’s the thing though- just because all the substances are gone doesn’t mean that a life of integrity is necessarily there. When it comes to our alcoholism, these are the things that we must work on to improve in our process. Learning to be self-reliant and seeing others as actual human lives- not just as people that are objects or toys for your pleasing, is a step in the right direction. It’s really as simple as putting your foot down and not budging for others because of false promises and snake-like smiles.

In the end, it’s about standing up to others and yourself to create a better life. If we allow people to walk all over us and take advantage, then we might as well have not gotten clean. The drugs and booze walked all over us for years and we were just people pleasing the chemicals as they walked in and out of this abusive relationship, we couldn’t say no to. Learning to be assertive and speak your mind is a quality asset to have. It’s better to have been completely honest and embarrass yourself than to create a web of people pleasing fibs that ultimately draw to your demise. Some situations are just not that simple to walk away from, and once you get stuck- it’s just going to get uglier. Remember- “there are no dues or fees for A.A. membership.” Take care of self first and the rest will follow.

Please Yourself

Being trapped in active addiction is a life consisting of bad choices and finding yourself in repeated situations of personal sacrifice. It gets old while being uncomfortable almost becomes the norm. We all deserve to be free from the alcoholic bind that causes us to step so blindly. If you or a loved one has been struggling with getting a firm grasp on sobriety and need detoxification, please call 866-802-6848 or visit www.coastaldetox.com. Our teams of specialists are waiting by to help figure out what options are best for sending your life is a comfortable direction that you can proudly stand behind.

Two Drug Counselors Overdose at Addiction Treatment Facility

Addict and alcoholic thinking are one of those things that handfuls of people hear about in passing but never really understand the gravity of such until something happens to somebody close. It’s unfortunate, but it’s the truth in the same breath. Most people do not understand how prevalent alcoholism has become in today’s society and how many of their loved ones are battling with the voices of addictive thinking taking over all rational thought.

The title in itself says everything about addiction in a short and bitter sentence. Two drug counselors working at an addiction treatment facility in Pennsylvania died this past week after overdosing on opiates on the job. These two unnamed individuals were in charge of helping other individuals to recover from this crippling disease and they too succumbed to the mental insanity that addiction and alcoholism will ensue if not taken care of.

Addiction Never Tires

As we progress through the struggles and strifes that are offered through getting high off of life, we learn as well as forget things the things that make us who we are. Human beings are generally adaptive living things and we learn to survive through adversity, but we are not perfect. While remembering the fault of our starts and how imperfect we can be, this goes hand in hand with remembering that chemical dependency cannot be beaten. It can be put to sleep, it can be forgotten about, but it cannot disappear entirely. It seems this was something that the two missed counselors had forgotten. There sadly isn’t a red or blue pill for the cure or an alternative universe for us to reside in, there’s just facing the disease head-on and learning to cope.

The twelve steps coupled along with Alcoholics or Narcotics Anonymous is usually the recommended remedy to lock away the alcoholic thinking that echoes loudly between our ears. These are imperative tools that will help you stay ahead of this never ending game. Along with meetings and the twelve steps are crucial pieces like:

fellowship
sponsorship/sponseeship
volunteering
spirituality/meditation/prayer

These are just a few examples of the things that we addicts and alcoholics have to implement into our lives whether we like it or not. At times we may feel that we have one-upped our alcoholic thinking and can go back to our old ways, but reminding ourselves what will happen and playing the tape out can be the very difference between life and death- as it, unfortunately, was for the two counselors who seemed to be waging war with their demons alone.

This Epidemic is our World War III

Opiates are derived from the poppy seed- as I’m sure most who are reading this are already aware of. Opium and heroin are two common street drugs that are birth products of this manufacturing of poppy seeds into opiates. These are illegal narcotics in most regions. Then you have the legal versions, the little blood sucking pharmaceuticals most commonly known as pain killers. Pain killers are a legal way for people to take mind numbing drugs without repercussions, but this gets heavily abused time and time again.

In this unfortunate event that transpired at Freedom Ridge Recovery Lodge, used syringes and little baggies of heroin were found on the scene. The baggies of dope found on the scene were stamped with the sad irony of a Superman logo and a Skull and Crossbones logo. Both baggies also tested positive for the main culprits in the ongoing opiate crisis: Fentanyl and Heroin. These are two substances that will lifelessly drop addicts and alcoholics with the highest of tolerances to the ground. It’s getting to the point where it’s almost like playing a game of Russian roulette with 5 out of your 6 chambers loaded in that revolver. The chances of you walking away are slim to none.

What Do You Do When There’s Nothing You Can Do?

Ever growing and never slowing, the opiate epidemic of the 2010’s is taking over and making it harder to stay close to friends and family. The worst part is that the resolution begins right where the problems usually do, but we chose misery over freedom from the chemicals. It’s once an individual can identify the disease of addiction taking over, it is here that the first changes can be made to not wind up as another statistic in the books.

Its one thing to enjoy the ecstasy certain substances provide, but it’s entirely different to throw away your life and to have your empire come crashing down all for a little bit euphoria. That’s the insanity of this disease. You will see human beings who know right from wrong and are clearly struggle, but will still dedicate themselves to the pursuit of getting high. Addicts will have close ones turn blue right in front of them and will still not waver from sticking that next rig into their veins. This is the evidence that there is a mind-boggling anomaly at stake that cannot be researched and prevented enough with a constant onslaught of opiates and other narcotics flooding the streets.

Yes Alcoholics Anonymous is at a record high in 2017 with the number of people saving their lives through the program, but it is not enough to put a dent in the epidemic at hand. Despite the amount of time away from chemicals one may put together, the demons will never leave their side. To remember this is the best way to filter out jails, institutions, and death from one’s fate.

Don’t Wind Up With a Story about You

Addiction is one of those types of diseases that will try to convince you that it’s non-existent, even when the evidence of your actions lies right in front of you. It is a disease that has partnered along with this 21st-century opiate epidemic and wants addicts and alcoholics dead. There is hope though and struggling doesn’t have to be the destiny endured. If you or a loved one has been struggling with getting a firm grasp on sobriety and need detoxification, please call 866-802-6848 or visit www.coastaldetox.com. Our teams of specialists are waiting by to help figure out what options are best for sending your life is a comfortable direction that you can proudly stand behind.