5 Renewal Rituals for a Healthy Recovery

Spring is the perfect time to begin thinking about how we can re-group, re-prioritize and renew ourselves so we can be our best selves during recovery. Here are some “renewal rituals” to help you get started.

1. De-clutter your living space. Piles of unsorted bills or unorganized clothes can make you more stressed out. UCLA researchers found high cortisol (a stress hormone) levels in women with homes with a "high density of household objects." In other words, the more clutter, the more inner chaos. 
2. Clear the mental clutter. In the spirit of renewal, why not rid yourself of negative emotions so there’s more room for positive growth. Make a conscious effort to find the positive side of things, give yourself permission to let go of any past mistakes and make an effort to re-acquaint yourself with the unique qualities that make you, well, you. 
3. Start a daily spiritual practice. Spring is the perfect time to bring some more mindfulness to your life and to focus on your inner self. Some ideas: yoga, meditation, prayer, deep breathing or even mindful walking.
4. Try something new. What better time than the season of new beginnings to try something you’ve always wanted to do – from learning a new language to trying a new fitness class to visiting a new city. A comprehensive recovery plan should include sober fun, creativity and any stress-lowering activities that can serve as a healthy escape.
5. Make time for nature. Whether you decide to plant a vegetable or flower garden or take up hiking as a hobby, make a commitment this spring to make a connection to the earth by spending more time outdoors. 

Renewing Your Whole Self During Recovery
At Complete Harmony, we encourage the use of many different cutting-edge techniques to help clients heal the mind, body and spirit. To learn more about our treatment center and our approach to addiction recovery, call today: 866-930-4673.

Opioid Overdoses or Suicides?

In the midst of the opioid epidemic, suicide rates have hit a 30-year high – is there a connection?

This was the question posed in a recent NPR article titled “How Many Opioid Overdoses Are Suicidal?” And it’s not the first (or last time) this relationship will be examined. In fact, there are several studies linking drug addiction and suicide. 

One study of nearly 5 million veterans found that diagnoses of opioid use disorders (OUD) led to an increased risk of suicide for both males and females. And women were eight times more likely to be at risk for suicide; men faced a twofold risk. What’s more, researchers found the suicide rate among those with OUD was 86.9/100,000, compared to the already alarming rate of 14/100,000 in the general U.S. population, notes the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).

Another study of 41,053 participants found that prescription opioid misuse was associated with anywhere between a 40 and 60 percent increased risk for thoughts of suicide, notes the NIDA. And those reporting at least weekly opioid misuse made suicide attempts at a rate 200 percent greater than those unaffected.

While researchers continue to study the link, there are still many unanswered questions. For instance, "no one has answered the chicken and egg [question]," Dr. Kiame Mahaniah, a family physician who runs the Lynn Community Health Center in Mass, told NPR. Is it that patients "have mental health issues that lead to addiction, or did a life of addiction then trigger mental health problems?"

For now, experts like Mahaniah say the best bet is to “provide treatment that covers all those bases." 

Do You Know the Warning Signs of Suicide?

The National Institute of Mental Health recommends seeking help as soon as possible if you or someone you know exhibits any of the following signs:

• Threatening to hurt or kill oneself or talking about wanting to hurt or kill oneself
• Looking for ways to kill oneself by seeking access to firearms, available pills, or other means
• Talking or writing about death, dying, or suicide when these actions are out of the ordinary for the person
• Feeling hopeless
• Feeling rage or uncontrolled anger or seeking revenge
• Acting reckless or engaging in risky activities - seemingly without thinking
• Feeling trapped - like there's no way out
• Increasing alcohol or drug use
• Withdrawing from friends, family and society
• Feeling anxious, agitated or unable to sleep or sleeping all the time
• Experiencing dramatic mood changes
• Seeing no reason for living or having no sense of purpose in life

Dual Diagnosis Treatment at Complete Harmony

When you're struggling with a mental illness and a substance use disorder, rehabilitation may seem like an impossible journey. Using traditional and holistic therapies, Complete Harmony has a proven history of successfully addressing a dual diagnosis. To learn more, call 866-930-4673. 

Study: Could Mindfulness Meditation Prevent Major Depression?

By now you’re likely familiar with the fact that depression and addiction often go hand and hand – you or someone you love may even be suffering from both. But what if we told you that mindfulness mediation could help prevent major depression? Well, that’s what researchers set out to prove in a new study published in the Annals of Family Medicine. 

For the study, researchers selected 231 adults with subclinical depression, which is defined as the presence of depressive symptoms that are not yet severe or persistent enough to warrant a diagnosis of major depressive disorder (MDD), according to researchers. The study participants were split into two groups: The first group took part in a two-hour mindfulness mediation session once a week for 8 weeks; the second group received usual care. The patients were recruited from 16 outpatient clinics in Hong Kong. 

The results: The mindfulness meditation group showed fewer depressive symptoms – MDD was diagnosed in 10.8 percent compared to 26.8 percent in the usual care group. 

What Is Mindfulness Mediation and How Can it Help Your Recovery?

Mindful meditation is a psychological practice that helps us to be “fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us,” according to Mindful.org. Another definition: It helps give us a necessary pause so we approach daily life with warmth and kindness – not judgment – toward ourselves and toward others. 

Being more mindful can certainly help your recovery. For one, it will prevent negative thoughts, feelings and emotions from distracting you or interfering with lasting sobriety. Here are a few more of the study-proven benefits: 

• Better emotional control
• Less anxiety 
• Reduced anger and increased compassion
• Greater self-awareness
• Improved focus and impulse control
• Deeper spiritual connection

Finding Holistic Treatment for You

At Complete Harmony, we encourage the use of many different cutting-edge techniques to help clients heal the mind, body and spirit, including mediation. To learn more about our treatment center and our approach to addiction recovery, call today: 866-930-4673.

Study: Smartphone Addiction — Hyper-social, Not Anti-social?

Are you constantly checking your phone, texting or scrolling through social media? Smartphone addiction has been in the news more and more, with many experts believing this type of behavior to be antisocial. New research, however, is looking at smartphone addiction in a new way – wondering if it’s a sign of being hyper-social?

In the new review, researchers believe the most addictive smartphone functions share a common theme: they tap into the human desire to connect with other people.

The desire to watch and monitor others — and also to be seen and monitored by others — runs deep in our evolutionary past, explained professor Samuel Veissière, a cognitive anthropol
ogist, in a statement. Social media is a way for us to find meaning, goals and a sense of identity.

“There is a lot of panic surrounding this topic,” said Veissière. “We’re trying to offer some good news and show that it is our desire for human interaction that is addictive and there are fairly simple solutions to deal with this.”

Still, the researchers agree that the pace and scale of hyper-connectivity can push the brain’s reward system to run on overdrive, leading to unhealthy addictions. 

So what are these "fairly simple solutions"? Experts says turning off push notifications and setting up appropriate times to check your phone can go a long way toward helping prevent smartphone addiction.  

And, above all, we need to “start having a conversation about the appropriate way to use smartphones,” noted Veissière. “Parents and teachers need to be made aware of how important this is.”

Complete Harmony CA Rehab
If compulsive cell phone use is a problem that co-occurs with your drug or alcohol addiction, Complete Harmony’s team of practitioners and addiction specialists can help. Join our family and begin to live life on healthier terms, without the need for technology overload. Dial 866-930-4673 to inquire about our dual-diagnosis programs, or speak with a counselor about developing a customized recovery program for your needs. 

Chronic Drinking Linked to Dementia

A study of nearly one million adults in France found a link between chronic drinking and early-onset dementia.

Researchers, using data from the French National Hospital Discharge database, found that of the 57,000 cases of early-onset dementia (younger than 65), the majority (57%) were related to chronic heavy drinking. Alcohol use disorders were diagnosed in 16.5% of the men with dementia and 4% of the women with dementia — over twice as much as in those without dementia for both sexes, according to the study.

"Given the strength of the association, what is the most surprising to me is that alcohol use disorders had received so little interest in dementia research and public health policies," Dr. Michael Schwarzinger, a researcher at the Transitional Health Economics Network in Paris and a leading author of the study, told CNN.com.

According to the researchers, there are multiple ways heavy alcohol use can lead to dementia, including:

• Ethanol and its byproduct acetaldehyde are known to have a toxic effect on the brain that can lead to long-term structural and functional brain damage.
• Heavy alcohol use can lead to a condition called hepatic encephalopathy, characterized by a loss in brain function due to increases of ammonia in the blood caused by liver damage.
• Heavy drinking often correlates with smoking habits and/or depression, also factors for dementia onset. 

People outside of France should take these findings seriously, too, Dr. Schwarzinger told CNN.com. “While the rate of alcohol use disorders is lower in the USA, it remains substantial enough to be considered a major risk factor for dementia onset."

Help for Alcohol Addiction

If you or someone you love has an alcohol abuse problem, know that you’re not alone. Our team has helped hundreds of patients detox and restore their whole body using holistic therapies for symptom management and improved wellbeing. To learn more, call today: 866-930-4673.

Few Depression Patients Seek Treatment

Here’s some depressing news: Only one-third of those newly diagnosed with depression follow through on doctor’s orders, according to a Kaiser Permanente study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. 

Using electronic health records, insurance claims and demographic data, the researchers studied nearly 250,000 patients who received a new diagnosis of depression in primary care settings in five large health care systems between 2010 and 2013. Only 35.7 percent initiated antidepressant medication or psychotherapy within 90 days of their diagnosis. The numbers were slightly more promising among those diagnosed with more severe forms of depression, with roughly about half starting treatment. 

Depression is a highly treatable condition, and it’s estimated that 16 million Americans experience at least one depressive episode per year.

What’s behind this non-compliance? The reasons ranged from stigma to challenges accessing behavioral health services, said Beth Waitzfelder, PhD, lead author and investigator of the study, in a statement.

And this is despite a growing effort nationwide to detect and begin treating depression during primary care visits. “Over the last decade, there has been a growing effort to raise awareness about mental health and to integrate mental health care into primary care,” said Dr. Waitzfelder. “This is a positive development, since most people receive care from primary care providers. However, our study shows there is a lot more work to do to understand why many depressed patients do not begin treatment.”

Depression and Addiction: Getting Help

A depression diagnosis may exist prior to substance abuse, or develop as a side effect of drug and alcohol dependency. When you're struggling with a mental illness and a substance use disorder, rehabilitation may seem like an impossible journey. Using traditional and holistic therapies, Complete Harmony has a proven history of successfully addressing a dual diagnosis. To learn more, call 866-930-4673.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorders More Common Than Believed

More children than previously thought may have some type of disability caused by maternal drinking during pregnancy, according to a new study published in JAMA. Researchers suggest that 1.5 to 5 percent of U.S. children — up to five times previous estimates — have a fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. To put things in perspective, that's as common as autism, which impacts roughly 1.5 percent.

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (also called FASDs) can range from moderate to severe and include cognitive, behavioral and physical difficulties, according to the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention: 

• Abnormal facial features, such as a smooth ridge between the nose and upper lip 
• Small head size
• Shorter-than-average height
• Low body weight
• Poor coordination
• Hyperactive behavior
• Difficulty with attention
• Poor memory
• Learning disabilities
• Speech and language delays
• Intellectual disability or low IQ
• Poor reasoning and judgment skills
• Sleep and sucking problems as a baby
• Vision or hearing problems
• Problems with the heart, kidneys, or bones

The study, funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, evaluated nearly 3,000 students as well as some of their mothers. More than a third of the children’s moms declined to answer questions about drinking during pregnancy.

“When you identify a kid with FASD, you’ve just identified a mom who drank during pregnancy and harmed her child,” Susan Astley, director of the Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Diagnostic and Prevention Network at the University of Washington, who was not involved in the study, told The New York Times.

Health authorities in the United States have pretty clear warnings when it comes to drinking during pregnancy: don’t do it. A 2015 American Academy of Pediatrics report said “no amount of alcohol intake should be considered safe” during any trimester. In 2016, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, advised sexually active women who are not using birth control to “not drink alcohol at all.”

Even a small amount of alcohol can seriously affect a baby, said Dr. Astley. “There’s probably no two women on the planet who drank the same amount on the same day of pregnancy. And alcohol doesn’t impact every fetus in the same way.”

The researchers hope that these findings will serve as a wake-up call for moms-to-be: “Alcohol can damage every system of the body,” Dr. Svetlana Popova, a senior scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health’s Institute for Mental Health Policy Research in Toronto and a co-author of an editorial about the new study, told NYT. “We have to scream about this problem to the world.”

Getting Help for Alcohol Abuse
If you have a drinking problem and are pregnant or considering pregnancy, we can work together to create a plan to help you live a happy and alcohol-free lifestyle. To learn more about our holistic addiction program, call today: 866-930-4673.