Post by Sarah Wilde

 Exercise may be an effective and nonpharmacologic treatment option for alcohol dependence.

Likewise, according to ScienceDaily, circadian disruptions can also lead to alcohol abuse as well as relapse in abstinent alcoholics.   Circadian rhythms, which refers to the timing of daily rhythms, can be - no surprise - highly disrupted by alcohol abuse.   A new animal study has used hamsters to test for the influence of wheel-running on alcohol intake.  Results indicate that exercise, perhaps through stimulation of brain reward pathways, may be able to reduce alcohol intake in humans. 

“Alcohol abuse, characterized by routine craving for and consumption of alcohol as well as an inability to function normally without it, disrupts both the timing and consolidation of daily circadian rhythms — when to sleep, eat, and mate — driven by the brain circadian clock,” explained J. David Glass, professor of biological sciences at Kent State University and corresponding author for the study. “With continual alcohol use, one may go to bed too early or late, not sleep across the night, and have an unusual eating regime, eating little throughout the day and/or overeating at night. This can lead to a vicious cycle of drinking because these individuals, in response, will consume more alcohol to fall asleep easier only to complain of more disrupted sleep across the night and additionally have a greater craving for alcohol.”

In other words, said Alan M. Rosenwasser, professor of psychology at the University of Maine, chronic alcohol abuse and circadian disruption become reciprocally destructive and result in negative effects on physical and emotional health.  By getting  proper exercise at key points in the day, alcoholics and others alike can improve their circadian regulation to improve their sleep habits and reduce their need for alcohol.  While this does not mean that exercise is the cure for alcoholism, it is further evidence that exercise is important to the regulation of Circadian rhythm, which is why both areas are key components in the LifeSkills Authorities Recovery Coaching programs.   

Results will be published in the September 2010 issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.  Read the full article at Science Daily.

Have you used exercise as part of your recovery plan?    Tell us more.

Post by Michael Plahn

The idea of just saying “NO” to drugs or alcohol when I was going to school became a popular slogan.  The idea Nancy Reagan got behind was, in theory, a noble attempt at dealing with the alarming addiction rate and cocaine epidemic of the early 1980′s.  However, after much more study has taken place, it is a more complicated issue than just saying no to drugs and alcohol, or having strong willpower.  Especially if the addicted person is an adolescent or young adult.

reason is that an area of the brain called the pre-frontal cortex, which regulates judgement, impulse control, and self-monitoring, does not fully develop until the individual is approximately twenty-five years old.  Therefore,it is much different than just a willpower issue or solved by hanging out with a new crowd.  Your teenager or young adult may be virtually handcuffed by their addiction and lack the ability to “just say NO” because the part of their brain that could help them in that cpacity has not been fully developed, or even worse, likely damaged by the alcohol and drug use.

What can be done?  In my opinion, this is definitely a situation that requires professional help.  The addicted young person has likely shown signs of psychiatric issues and may be acting out in a manner that has the family feeling as though “this is not our son/daughter/sibling” … “they have changed.”  Well, they very well may have changed.  As the founder of  LifeSkills Authorities, and someone in recovery myself, I strongly encourage you to seek professional help immediately.  This is not an issue that is likely going to get better by getting them into college and living on their own.  That false hope often leads to more problems and tragedies during the first years of college.  I urge you to get a professional opinion and go into it with an open mind.  Successful treatment is likely going to be a long-term solution, goes beyond a simple intervention or 30-day treatment program, and can be costly.

I have personally sat with countless families who think things will get better and their child will somehow just change.  Don’t be the parents that take that chance with your child’s life.  Addiction is a progressive and terminal disease that requires professional help to treat, particularly when the addict in question is a young adult.  After a tragedy, hindsight may make it painfully obvious to see where the path was leading.    Perhaps it would have been the answer to use the college money you saved for education, and instead pay for the proper long-term professional addiction treatment for your son/daughter.

If you are reading this and can relate to this topic matter or have a personal story to share, please comment and let us hear from you.

Post by Sarah Wilde

Michael Douglas was on the Today show this morning speaking with Matt Lauer about the sentencing of his son, Cameron, for drug charges.    Cameron has spent years suffering the effects of untreated addiction despite numerous attempts at sobriety.    The story is certainly heartbreaking and one that surely hit too close to home for many parents in the same position of having children fall victim to drug abuse.

Matt Lauer asked Michael Douglas what the lesson is that he could offer other parents with a child abusing drugs or alcohol.   Douglas’ response was, “You have to catch it early.  Your options once your children turn eighteen are limited.  Most of the time 30 days ain’t gonna do it.   But see what you can do when they’re under eighteen because after that it has to be all with their permission.”

We couldn’t agree more.   Help is available and we at LifeSkills Authorities encourage parents to help “raise the bottom” for their children by intervening early.   We work with parents to approach their children in a loving way, through an invitational intervention - never with surprises or coercion.   If your child is abusing drugs or alcohol take action now.    A qualified invitational interventionist can help you sort through next steps.

Post by Michael Plahn

When is the most difficult time in the process of addiction treatment? This is a very subjective question and depending on whom you ask and their personal or clinical experience, you may find different answers.  Certainly, if a person never gets to a treatment facility that is properly geared to treat their disease, then the chances for successful recovery from addiction are likely very poor.

However, if an addicted individual is placed at a proper chemical dependency treatment program there are many factors that affect their abstinence rates, and the quality of their lives, one year after entering the treatment facility.  There are a lot of people and companies in the treatment profession that represent success rates, but the key questions to ask are: Who determined their success rates?  Were they independently validated?  Find out if this was an actual scientific study or did the numbers just get massaged to help in marketing efforts.

While there is much debate about the aforementioned question, there is little debate about the positive correlation between longer treatment and more efficacious recovery results.  Lengthy treatment stays, however, do not always translate to healthy coping skills.  Witnessing this firsthand for years, I have seen individuals thrive in the treatment setting – even if it is for 90 days or more – but when they return home disaster strikes.   Difficulties may stem from re-acclimation to home, work, or social life, finding ways to fill free time, embracing a new healthy lifestyle, applying the treatment principles in the “real world,” or any number of individualized challenges.  A unique complement (not an alternative) to combating these difficulties that may arise in today’s typical treatment protocol can be found with a long-term recovery coaching model.

To smooth such pitfalls, I developed a comprehensive program for my clients to establish a coaching relationship throughout and beyond the first year of recovery.  Often that relationship starts prior to an intervention, and includes contact with the coach during treatment (with the coach present for the critical transition of discharge from treatment), and adhering to a holistic recovery coaching protocol for a minimum of 52 weeks post-discharge.  This creates a lifestyle change in the addicted person to help them embrace and succeed in a recovery that goes well beyond abstinence.   A change that encompasses mind, body and spirit is necessary, and importantly, one that makes sense for that individual’s lifestyle is critical for the effects to last.  For example, at LifeSkills Authorities we have programs specifically geared toward executives and attorneys that take the nuances of their high-stress corporate lifestyles into consideration.    This unique approach is developing a national following in a short period of time because of the thoroughness of working with clients to manage all touchpoints of early recovery.

If you have fallen prey to the difficulties of recovery and want help for yourself or if a loved one is struggling in recovery, I encourage you to consider a new approach.  Visit our website (http://www.lifeskillsauthorities.com/) and really spend the time to find out what the LSA philosophy and programs are all about.

This article was recently featured in the Treatment Solutions Network newsletter, please click here to access their articles.