COMPLETE Abstinence

Abstinence is a strong word, as it implies the removal and avoidance, or forbidding of a specific thing in one’s life. Whether it be a type of food, an activity, an association or relationship, or a location you are forbidden from entering, abstinence means ‘NO!’ Many of us, upon hearing the word abstinence, probably assume some thought of refraining from sexual activity. But abstinence is not relegated to a practice only associated with sexual immorality, nor is it only for those living with strong faith in a religious ideology. The actual definition of abstinence is a broad term, or umbrella term, for any self-enforced restraint from indulging in bodily activities that are widely experienced as giving pleasure. Wikipedia states that the term most frequently refers to sexual abstinence, or abstinence from alcohol or food. The practice can arise from religious prohibitions and practical considerations. Abstinence may also refer to drugs. For example, you can abstain from smoking. Abstinence has diverse forms. Commonly it refers to a temporary or partial abstinence from food, as in fasting. In the twelve-step program of Overeaters Anonymous abstinence is the term for refraining from compulsive eating, akin in meaning to sobriety for alcoholics. Because the regimen is intended to be a conscious act, freely chosen to enhance life, abstinence is sometimes distinguished from the psychological mechanism of repression. The latter is an unconscious state, having unhealthy consequences. Freud termed the channeling of sexual energies into other more culturally or socially acceptable activities, “sublimation”.

As recovering addicts, we are facing life from a perspective of having been transformed ourselves, but the world we live in has not. In fact, as we continue to change in one direction, the world seems to be changing in the opposite. What I mean is, we used to indulge in careless and destructive behavior, feeding our compulsive desires to use drugs or act irrationally. Having reached a turning point, we no longer do so, and refrain from such thoughts and behaviors. As we have made changes in ourselves, the world has stayed the same if not gotten worse. The way of the world is what led many of us to use and abuse drugs in the first place. Trying to cope with it, escape from it, or push through it, we were unable to ‘partake productively in the life being had in this world’ naturally without some sort of self-enabling alteration or mechanism for interacting with it. But now that we no longer utilize drugs to deal with this world and its effects on us, and since the world has remained the same, it is us to develop a means of successful interaction and coping. If anything, the world has become a more difficult place to be in compared to when we first became overwhelmed or dropped out of it in the first place, therefore we must take what we know from our experiences and identify some intentional criteria for disabling the world’s influence and stimulations that cause us distress. So how do we face this world again, especially now without our trusty pills and powders, uppers and downers, and so on?

Well, part of how to survive our new way of life in this devious and tempting world is to simply not confront it. We can stay away from all the nouns- or, people, places, and things- that cause us dis-ease or distress. But of course we cannot rationally expect to be able to avoid all possible temptation or somehow never be in a vulnerable position. Nor should we fear the world, hiding or separating ourselves from it. We must overcome, overpower, or enable ourselves to handle it head on so as not to restrict our freedom and quality of life. This requires strength, this requires motivation, this requires accountability and responsibility, and also requires a removal of things that leave us vulnerable. We do this through honestly participating in our counseling, proactively seeking ways and methods to cope and manage reality without drugs or dropping out, and developing strategies for overcoming instances when we would normally be overwhelmed. This cannot be done with success without abstinence from drug use, drug users, and drug use friendly environments containing all such things.

Complete abstinence from drugs and the environments in which drugs are used and available is necessary for the cultivation of these sorts or qualities and attributes. The longer we remain out from under the influence of drugs, the less and less such an influence seems enticing. Just like breaking up with a lover, at first it is hard, painful, and depressing. Anything about that particular person sets off emotions and reactions, causing us to have a need for that person, or a desire to interact with that person. But after some time, that diminishes, and we are able to move on without any problems. Part of why this occurs, is through replacing our infatuation or interest in that person with other things more relevant and meaningful to our new circumstances and intentions. Out of sight, out of mind. And the longer something is out of sight and out of mind, the less likely it is to come about of our own will. This only works in a neutral setting, though. Developing hobbies, interests, responsibilities, or anything that may fulfill your time, engage your intellect, and satisfy your emotions other than the drug which had previously consumed all these things will certainly replace your innate and assumptive perception of needing the drug for satisfaction.

Complete abstinence also gives the addict time to detach and separate themselves from the constant thinking about the drugs. This time of separation gives the person the opportunity to develop new and different interests, hobbies, passions, etc. Having long periods of clear-mindedness transforms a person psychologically and physically, because of the absence of the changes instigated from drug abuse in their life. An addict can get on a healthy and regular schedule, eat better, exercise, apply themselves to wholesome activity and work, and re-establish or establish relationships with family or friends that offers support, advice, and assistance when in need or during moments of weakness. Having the time to clearly confront and sift through the wreckage of your addiction can and will produce many beneficial outcomes for the individual recovering. When you live life without the drug for a while, and literally experience a knowledge of being able to live happily and comfortably without the drug further reinforces a revelation of truth regarding the real nature of the drugs you were previously relying on to face each day, and that revelation is that the drugs are not necessary, nor are they a healthy or beneficial way to go about living your life.

What do we do when temptation is right in front of us, within arm’s reach? We must deepen our self-understanding and really get to the core of the matter regarding why we enjoy taking drugs. What makes us want them? What is so great to us about them? Why is it that being under the influence of a drug is so much ‘better’ or ‘more exciting’ than normal, stable, sharp, vivid and sober reality? How is it that taking my drug of choice satisfies me? What needs are being met or fulfilled by having taken the drug? And what could I do instead to fulfill or satisfy those same needs? Drugs impair our abilities to think, feel, communicate, etc. properly. Drugs defuse our solvability in handling challenges. Drugs damage the body and brain. Drugs give temporary effects in exchange for long-term and permanent detriment. Why, then, do we crave and desire such indulgences? By participating in your counseling with genuine concern and intentionality, you can discover the answers to any and all questions you have regarding this subject. Only when you are able to compare your potential desires for taking the drug with the very real damage, degradation, distortion, and dis-ease which results from taking the drug through clarity in perception, can you then easily bat away the spontaneous temptations that may arise when opportunities to use present themselves. When we starve out the addict inside through long periods of time clean and sober, the inner-addict dies off and leaves. If we allow the inner-addict to remain living deep within, through feeding it drugs periodically, no matter how frequently or often, we will always struggle in tempting circumstances because that inner addict will immediately come alive and take control of our mental faculties to reject or deny the temptation to use.

For most, when one is truly done with the drugs, they do not suffer from psychological cravings or an innate desire to use- even in convenient or overwhelming circumstances. Even during hard times when they would have previously relied on their trusty crutch of substances and pills, they understand fully that there is absolutely no benefit or gains to be had in surrendering their sobriety for some pitiful hour or two of inebriation, intoxication, or sedation. I believe that this kind of mood, or perception, in regard to drug-taking stems from, or is born from, having suffered so immensely and having been driven to such despair and depths of depravity, that the memory alone of such experiences overrides the potential urge to use a drug, knowing full-well what comes of such a decision. The struggles in life occur for a reason. And it is not to trigger weakness, causing us to run and hide behind a drug’s numbing haze, but rather trials come upon us to test our will, our strength, our faith. We face challenges to endure and conquer them, and in doing so, such challenges no longer present such a threat, but instead become speed bumps on our highway through life when they arise again. The bad in life is there for one reason: for us to identify and manifest the possible good from it. Choosing to live in the slow lane on drugs is no longer appealing once you have sped past the traffic jam in the fast lane of living sober.

The Importance of Community in Recovery

Community. What do you think when you hear this word? What does it mean to you? In a previous article of ‘Here to Help’, I spoke about the importance of environment. I am now going to talk about the importance of community, which is certainly a fundamental ingredient, if not ultimate source, of many people’s environment. Before we get any further into this topic, let me distinguish between the words community and environment.

A community is a social unit of any size that shares common values, or that is situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a village or town). It is a group of people who are connected by durable relations that extend beyond immediate genealogical ties, and who usually define that relationship as important to their social identity and practice. Although communities are usually small, “community” may also refer to large groups, such as national communities, international communities, and virtual communities. Human communities may share intent, belief, resources, preferences, needs, and risks in common, affecting the identity of the participants and their degree of cohesiveness.

Environment has become somewhat of a less direct term, having several applications, depending on the specific reference intended. For use in this article, I am referring to the biophysical environment and social environment of the individual or community.

The biophysical environment is the biotic and abiotic surrounding of an organism or population, and consequently includes the factors that have an influence in survival, development and evolution. The biophysical environment can vary in scale from microscopic to global in extent. It can also be subdivided according to its attributes.

The social environment refers to the immediate physical and social setting in which people live or in which something happens or develops. It includes the culture that the individual was educated or lives in, and the people and institutions with whom they interact. The interaction may be in person or through communication media, even anonymous or one-way, and may not imply equality of social status. Therefore, the social environment is a broader concept than that of social class or social circle.

As addicts in recovery, the surrounding world in which we spend our time is very important and should be analyzed for potential outcomes, be they positive or negative; Assessing the risks and potential benefits of exposing ourselves to such an environment. What I mean is, addicts are vulnerable people in certain environments and amongst certain communities of people. It is wise to seek out and participate in a community of other individuals with common intent, belief, resources, preferences, needs, and risks, etc. One must ‘find their tribe’ in a sense. This is conducive to social solidarity, or in other words, unity (as of a group or class) which produces or is based on common interests, objectives, standards, and sympathies. It refers to the ties in a society that bind people together as one. Having a unified community aids in the development of social interaction, confidence, trust, emotional, physical, and intellectual reinforcement of your recovery experience. Through the community, you increase your potential resources in many areas, as well as establish a support system and friendships that cultivate personality, characteristic qualities, removal of feelings of isolation, as well as hope due to the fact that others are in similar circumstances to your own, and this reduces the sense of loneliness or exclusivity that an addict feels during recovery. Many of us have been through a lot of misfortune, done irrational and desperate things, and inflicted or suffered abuses of various types. The thought that you are alone in your depravity, your desperation, your degradation, your hopelessness, your wickedness, etc. can do a lot of damage and prevent beneficial assistance from being applied, even though rendered upon you. Seeing and hearing of others having done or been through similar experiences of a negative nature reassures you that you are not some sick, broken, unfixable, unredeemable, un-savable case; that in fact others have been where you are and have been, and there are ways in which we can all help each other in dealing with such things.

What forms the basis of solidarity varies between societies. In simple societies it may be mainly based on kinship and shared values. In more complex societies there are various theories as to what contributes to a sense of social solidarity. In the case of recovering addicts, it is our shared past experiences that provides a sense of comradery, sympathetic understanding of one another, and similar struggles faced in our pre and post-addiction lives. Our new-found, or not-so-new-found, sobriety is a far different lifestyle from what we had previously known and loved, and this creates a fertile foundation for the creation of bonds between us. We are the outcasts, the fallen, the untrusted, and broken. But we are coming into a new fold of life, where we get to be redeemed, and sometimes are the redeemers, we are success stories and living examples of perseverance, as well as sponsors for the truths revealed and endured through overcoming incredible odds.

Goals & Motivation

In a world driven by outcomes, successful goal setting permeates all levels of society. Motivation plays an important role in helping us reach our goals, and in turn, goal setting is a powerful way of motivating people and ourselves. Working towards a goal provides a major source of motivation to actually reach the goal set.

What is a goal, anyway? A goal is the object or aim of an action, for example to attain a specific standard of proficiency, usually with a specified time limit. A goal is whatever an individual is striving to accomplish. Goals have both an internal and external aspect and motivation was either internally or externally driven. Internal motivation refers to ideas, whereas external motivation refers to the object or condition sought after. In other words, the idea guides action(s) to attain the object.

Many aspects of goal setting have been studied, such as difficulty, specificity, feedback, and goal acceptance as all contributing factors in assisting an individual towards goal fulfillment. Cognitive sources of motivation therefore revolve around a person’s way of thinking and believing. It units together mental constructs such as beliefs, expectations, goals, plans, judgments, values, and self-concept under one banner of mental events that function as casual determinants of the goal holder. People who set goals or have goals set for them generally outperform those without goals. In other words, goal-setting generally enhances performance.

THE 5 PRINCIPLES OF GOAL SETTING:

1. Clarity
2. Challenge
3. Commitment
4. Feedback
5. Task Complexity

There are two major theories of goal setting: Goal Setting Theory and Social Cognitive Theory. First, we will look at Goal Setting Theory, which considers motivation as its core premise. According to this theory, goal specificity and difficulty are the two primary goal attributes that influence goal-related performance.

• Specificity of the goal refers to how clearly the goal informs the person on precisely what he/she is to do. This means taking a vague goal of “do your assignment when you have time”, to a more specific goal, like “have your homework ready by 8 am tomorrow”. It is important to be specific when setting goals as it instructs the person on what needs to be done, reducing ambiguity in thought and variability of performance. The more specific or explicit the goal, the more precisely performance can be regulated.
• Difficulty is how hard the goal is to achieve. The more difficult the goal, the more energy the person will put into the goal. The energy is proportionate to the level of the task. An inverse relationship exists between the probability of success and level of performance. An optimal level of goal difficulty, which is neither too easy or too hard for the individual, produces optimal performance. If the individual is committed to the goal and possesses the requisite ability and knowledge to achieve it, a more difficult goal will produce better performance. However, it has been found, that without commitment and adequate ability, performance does drop at high difficulty goal levels.

Social Cognitive Theory considers the principles of observational learning and external reinforcement. This theory explains how people acquire and maintain certain behavioral patterns. Central to SCT is the role of self-efficacy.

Self-efficacy can be defined as how confident an individual is in their ability to achieve a desired goal in the presence of perceived barriers or facilitators. The capacity to exercise control over one’s thought processes, motivation, and action is a distinctively human characteristic. Self-efficacy plays an important role in goal setting and related outcomes as it requires a strong sense of efficacy to remain task oriented in the face of judgmental failures. People who strongly believe in their problem-solving capabilities remain highly efficient in their analytic thinking in complex decision situations and those who have self-doubt are erratic in their analytic thinking and this affects performance accomplishments.

• A person’s self-efficacy beliefs determine their level of motivation as reflected in how much effort they will exert in an endeavor and how long they will persevere in the face of obstacles. In order for people to succeed, they must have a personal sense of efficacy to sustain the perseverant effort needed to succeed, and be able to sustain effort in the face of difficulties. Failure to meet a goal may be partly explained by an individual’s loss of faith in their capabilities. The power of self-efficacy beliefs can affect the course of a life path through the selection process.
• Development of self-efficacy requires some experience in mastering difficulties through perseverant effort. When things are too easy, people get quick successes and in result come to expect them. If a person thinks they have what it takes to persevere when the task is difficult, they will stick it out through hard times and emerge with a stronger sense of self-efficacy. Self-efficacy beliefs operate together with a person’s outcome expectancies or what they believe the outcome of performing a particular goal will be, and this can be raised by enactive mastery, persuasion, and role modeling.
• When goals are self-set, people with high self-efficacy set higher goals than do people with low self-efficacy. Other benefits of high self-esteem are that people have fewer sleepless nights, succumb less easily to pressures to conform, are more persistent at difficult tasks, are less shy and lonely, and are just plain happier.
• After people attain their goal they generally set a higher goal for themselves. This adoption of higher goals creates rather than reduces motivation discrepancies to be mastered.

When we are pursuing our goals, there are several factors, or moderators, which affect our pursuit to fulfilling them. Commitment, incentives and rewards, feedback, task complexity, and performance facilitators (direction, effort, persistence, task specific strategies) are all examples of performance facilitators. These help to facilitate the manifestation of our performance toward achieving our goals. By looking at these various facilitators, we can better understand how to self-motivate and enhance our ability to achieve our goals.

• Commitment: In goal setting, commitment describes the degree to which a person is genuinely attached to and determined to reach their goals. Commitment has been shown to increase when the individual is convinced that the goal is important, attainable or that at least progress can be made towards achieving the goal. The harder the goal, the more commitment required. When you’re working on a difficult task, it is likely you will encounter challenges that require a deeper source of inspiration and incentive.
• Incentives and Rewards: Incentives and rewards improve performance, with larger incentives yielding greater performances. Ownership and acceptance through active participation in the goal-setting process allows a person to feel ownership toward their goals, which enhances participation and commitment. Ownership highlights the importance of the nature and manner in which the goals are set to achieving desired outcomes.
• Feedback: Another critical determinant factor of goal effects is the provision of feedback. Feedback allows the person to check the status of their performance in relation to their goal. This allows for adjustments in behavior in terms of effort, direction, or strategy if needed.
• Task Complexity: The task complexity interacts with the goals in a variety of ways. When confronted with task related goals, people will use their already acquired skills and knowledge to accomplish them. When the situation is new, they will draw upon skills they have used before in a similar context. When the situation requires new knowledge or skills, we come to the next determinant factor, which is performance facilitators.
• Performance Facilitators: Goals affect performance by affecting the direction of action, the degree of effort exerted, and the persistence of action over time. The effort required to obtain a goal is proportional to the perceived difficulty of the goal. Harder goals take more persistence to achieve than easy goals, therefore new strategies may be necessary. For harder goals, planning is also required. When people are given training in a new strategy, they don’t always use it unless it is to attain a goal that cannot otherwise be attained.

Self-efficacy influences the commitment one has to their goals, as well as the individual’s role in the choice of the task, the strategies to be employed in reaching said goal, and to dealing with responses of negative feedback or failure. When a person receives negative feedback, they may doubt their ability or become unhappy with their performance or the goal set. However, if the individual can sustain their self-efficacy under pressure, they are more likely to maintain or raise their goals, retain their commitment to them, and increase their search for better strategies to improve their performance. Those that lose confidence tend to lower their goals, decrease their efforts, lessen intensity, and use fewer strategies to assist themselves.

Goals can be short-term, long-term, a combination of both, or a series of short-term goals linked to one long-term goal. Though studies indicate that no significant difference exists in performance when comparing long and short-term goals, persistence and intrinsic motivation are affected. Long-term goals require a deeper motivation, a stronger internal drive to remain focused on attaining the goal. Without constant feedback and positive reinforcements along the way, it would be very easy to forfeit long-term goals. Short-term goals give the individual the change needed to evaluate their performance before exerting their determination. Long-term goals are more complex and require greater cognitive structures. Whereas short-term goals are often considered specific behavior targets, but both are connected. The achievement of a short-term goal increases the probability of attaining another short-term goal, as well as motivates toward attaining long-term goals. If you have a difficult or large goal you wish to achieve, perhaps identify ways to ‘break it up’ into a series of smaller goals. This way, a renewed excitement and inspiration can be instilled with each victory, thus propelling your motivation forward to attaining the larger goal(s).

Reasons for why certain people cannot achieve their goals may include: poor structuring, too many goals at once (overwhelming), or the goal(s) may conflict with each other. Also, they may be too ambiguous (non-specific), too difficult, or are set too far in the future to serve as useful behavior guides. Another reason for ineffective goal pursuit is people who often fail don’t identify why they want to pursue that particular goal. Often, people set goals that don’t represent their interests or personal values and adopt them for external reasons, such as social pressure or because it is an expectation of what they should do.  Goals that are not endorsed by the self are not likely to motivate the person to persist with the task long-term or through increased difficulty. Also, people often fail to develop a specific plan on how they will attain their goals. With this comes the failure to ensure their persistence when setbacks or obstacles occur.

When it comes to achieving them, we want to monitor and model our pursuits. Monitoring is the continual process of assessing and adjusting one’s current behavior in order to minimize any discrepancy between the behavior and the per-determined performance standard required to achieve your goal(s). Self-control requires not only effective goal-setting, but continual self-awareness of one’s progress towards those goals. Future conceptions of ourselves can motivate our self-control. Where does the motivation to exert self-control come from? Self-control is only exerted if it is interpreted within a cognitive and emotional framework that defines restraint as rewarding self-interested behavior. One element of the self that heavily influences self-control is the desired or feared conceptions we have for ourselves in the future.

We’ve all heard the saying that if someone wants to relinquish a bad habit, they must do it for themselves. This is because one’s ability to exert self-control is largely determined by the quality or type of motivation experienced. There are two types of motivation: intrinsic (internal) and extrinsic (external). Intrinsic motivation involves performing a behavior purely for enjoyment or interest. Extrinsic motivation refers to performing an action for external reasons, such as social pressure, to gain rewards, or to avoid punishment.

In search of true motivation, we experience greater intrinsic motivation when we feel our behavior is purely self-regulated and endorsed, and promotes our values and interests. In contexts that support greater autonomy (regulation by one’s own self), people tend to produce greater self-control outcomes than those who have been forced or restrained in performance. The motivation to exert self-controlled behaviors must truly come from within the individual. People are significantly more likely to succeed at abstaining/recovering from opiate dependence if doing so promotes their best interests. This internal motivation may be stimulated by envisioning future conceptions of oneself. We should also surround ourselves with others who support similar goals and are experiencing similar states or methods of progress. We should focus on one goal at a time. Acts of self-control lead to superior self-control in general, so not only must we break our larger, long-term goals into smaller, less daunting goals, but we must focus on them one at a time. Self-control must be gradually developed over time, beginning with small acts of restraint and working to bigger ones. To undertake multiple self-control tasks at once is likely to be detrimental. Not only will we become practiced in each specific task of self-control, but these particular behaviors may become an automatic tendency.

Monitoring ourselves and our improvements; improving our ability to monitor ourselves eventually generates a ‘monitoring mind-set’ and increases long-term capacity for self-control automatically.

Reward yourself for succeeding and doing your best if having failed. Periods of rest and small rewards have been shown to have a restorative effect on depletion. Engage in relaxation techniques or meditation. Our ability to override or inhibit automatic, habitual, or innate behaviors, urges, and emotions is often fundamental to pursuing goal-directed behavior.

Not only can self-control predict life success in a broad variety of spheres, but it is central to both approach and avoidance of health behaviors. To increase self-control is to increase your chances of success in attaining your goals in a healthy and productive manner. Enhancing motivation becomes perpetual, as the more your win, the happier you are, the more energy and willingness you have to strive, and winning gets easier and easier. So start by tackling the smaller issues in your life, and use the momentum generated by overcoming them to tackle your larger issues. Identify, set goals, plan, strategize, motivate, educate, act, monitor, adjust, succeed, reward! Sounds easy enough!

TAPERING CHART: Supplemental Tapering Charts For Use With My Book

OK, so I have uploaded this printable blank tapering chart for managing and recording your personal tapering progress, as well as an example chart to demonstrate how to fill out the chart and use it.

PRINTABLE VERSION / BLANK TAPERING CHART

EXAMPLE CHART / HOW TO FILL OUT YOUR CHART

HOW TO USE THE TAPERING CHART: First of all, you will put the day in which it has been since you began tapering. So for your first day, write ‘first day’ or ‘day 1’. Next to that, in the second column, you have the actual date. Then next is the time. It is important to not the actual and individual times of each day and night you use, becasue this will give a good idea of how long you typically would go without using, and enable you to set goals on diminishing the frequency in which you use. In the next column, you will address the reason for that particular use; are you sick, are you just maintaining your fix to avoid sickness, or are you indulging yourself when you really didn’t have to be using more. Next after that, address whether you were driven to use by internal or external distress, and physical or psychological distress. You may circle the appropriate words, and then in the space provided give a bit of detail on the causes for having used in that moment. This will allow you to visually access all of your ‘excuses’, reasons, and justifications for using later on, and you and you will then be able to narrow down your accaptable reasons to use and discipline yourself to only use more drugs when ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY or when experiencing withdrawal, or having to work while sick. And then lastly, I always recorded the method of using the drug. Many of us use the same way each and everytime, but a good part of tapering is changing the way you use. Obviously I do not advocate injecting if you simply snort your opiates, or smoke them. But if you are injecting already, it is wise to start snorting or smoking your dope, so as to get a head start at overcoming your attatchment to the ritualistic and addictive nature of the physical act of injecting the drug. As we know, many folks -on heroin especially- become just as addicted to the needle and the act of injecting, as they do to the drug itself. Noting the location of your use- whether at home, in the car, a friend’s house, work, mom’s bathroom, etc.- is a good bit of info to log on your chart. This information clues you in to risk-taking behavior that you must cut out of your routine. Limit yourself to only use in your own home, or place of living. Indulgence and wreckless behaviors should be the first things to go when seriously committing to tapering and getting a better grip on your situation before facing detox.

-Feel free to make your own if you cannot print from your (or any) computer, or copy and print the blank one I have provided here-

For making your own chart, use the chart on this blog as a model as to what all you’re going to want to have included in your daily logging of using/tapering. When I was personally experiencing my own tapering process some nearly 3 years ago now, I took regular notebook paper and made a grid-like layout. I layed the paper sheet on its side, so it was longways, to provide more room along the top for individual columns to organize the information I intended on recording with the chart. Across the top, I had a column for the day, time, where I used, how much I used, whether I smoked, snorted, or injected the drug, and then had a column with extra space for my ‘reasons for using’ at that particular time, and whether I was using because of internal/psychological distress, or physical/external distress. Of course you can include more information as well, as the whole purpose of this chart in the first place is to develop a deeper self-understanding of your drug use, habits, justifications/reasoning, and frequency of use. You also have no other way of gauging your success or failure if you do not record your drug use. It is all-to-easy to tell yourself you’re ‘doing good’, when in reality you are not.

THANKS SO MUCH FOR READING MY BLOG. I TRULY APPRECIATE AND HONOR EVERY SINGLE PERSON WHO ACTIVELY SEEKS HELP FOR THEMSELVES OR LOVED ONES, OR ANYONE FOR THAT MATTER. MY BLOG IS MOTIVATED BY MY OWN HISTORY, STRUGGLES, AND DESIRE TO HELP ANY AND ALL WITH THE DESIRE OR NEED TO GET OFF OPIATES. WHEN IT COMES TO OVERCOMING SUCH POWERFUL ADDICTIONS LIKE HEROIN AND OPIATES, THE MORE TOOLS WE HAVE ACCESS TO, AND THE MORE WE UTILIZE SAID TOOLS, THE EASIER AND MORE LIKELY WE ARE TO SUCCEED!!!

GOD BLESS, AND SINCERE THANKS TO ALL WHO HAVE HELPED ME, TO ALL WHO SUPPORT THIS BLOG AND ADDICTS SUFFERING AROUND THE WORLD, AND PRAYERS BE WITH ALL WHO’VE LOST THEIR WAY, LOST THEIR LIFE, OR LOST A LOVED ONE.

-JASON M. SCHOLL

To order the book, go to http://www.outskirtspress.com/heretohelp ($5 E-book available as well) or also order it from http://www.amazon.com or Barnes and Noble’s website

 

MY BOOK GOT PUBLISHED! AND AVAILABLE NOW!!!

Welp! My book is officially published and available to purchase!!! The Book is titled:  “HERE TO HELP: A GUIDE TO OVERCOMING OPIATE AND HEROIN ADDICTION” and is for sale online at: http://www.amazon.com, http://www.outskirtspress.com (click on the ‘bookstore’ tab), or at Barnes and Noble’s website. (Going through outskirts directly will get you a 10% discount) There is an E-book version available as well, costing only $5! My aim was to put out a book that would meet the needs of any opiate addict. When I was trying to obtain long-term sobriety, I was without any good guidance, had too many unanswered questions, and lost tons of money, time, and support through trial and error methods. I had been through detox programs, jail, hospitals, at-home detox, Suboxone, Methadone, you-name-it and I had done it, only to relapse in the end. But I am now over 2 years sober, and life couldn’t be better for me! The turn-around in my life is incredible and something I once thought impossible. But because of my experiences, and my having tried so many different paths to sobriety, I have been able to put together a 256 page book that covers everything one could ever possibly need to know about pain pill/heroin addiction. Whether it’s a prescription from the doctor or heroin from the street, or even if you are trying to end a long-term methadone regiment, this book will certainly be of value in assisting you through the journey! Based around 9 fundamental ‘steps’ or phases, Here To Help provides the information, wisdom, support and preparations needed to overcome opiate dependence.

So check out my book! Thanks so much for reading! And God Bless all struggling with this horrible problem! This book is “HERE TO HELP” YOU!

-BACK COVER OF BOOK-

“Written by an addict, for addicts!”

“Whether it started with an injury, surgical operation, self-medication, or just plain curiosity, opiate dependence is becoming an all-too common struggle in our modern society. As the epidemic of opiate addiction rises, there is also a growing demand for safe, practical, and cost-effective ways to help individuals who may be wrestling with this most powerful affliction. Here To Help: A Guide to Overcoming Opiate and Heroin Addiction is a comprehensive and insightful resource for assisting those struggling with opiate dependence and heroin addiction to initiate themselves back into a sober lifestyle. This book contains everything one would need to know to prepare themselves for the difficult and challenging issues that must be confronted on the journey to sobriety. Through comparing first-hand experiences with crucial educational information and research, this book is a definite must-have for anybody striving to escape from the clutches of opiate addiction/dependence. This book also provides a step-by-step formula for you to create a successful method to achieve and maintain sobriety. So if you, a loved one, or someone you know is struggling with this most overwhelming and unfortunate reality, yet does not have the means to participate in expensive treatments or facilities, this book is Here To Help!”

–ABOUT THE AUTHOR-

Jason M Scholl, artist and creative writer, was born and raised in Northwest Illinois. Since getting sober after a ten-year opiate addiction, he has rediscovered his passion for writing, and uses research, vital information, and his personal experiences to produce truly unique and beneficial contributions to the field of addiction recovery. As he once was a lost, hopeless, and broken opiate addict himself, he knows what it means and what it requires to overcome opiate addiction. By sharing his story and wisdom he earned through experience, he aims to promote the truth; that anyone will sufficient desire, will power, knowledge and a little bit of help, can overcome heroin and other powerful opiate addictions. Jason graduated high school in 2005 and shortly thereafter became a tattoo artist. But after 11 years, he has relinquished his position tattooing for more heart-felt and meaningful work in addiction recovery. Having been sober since late 2013, maintaining his sobriety is his new—and most important—ongoing challenge. To receive further updates and more beneficial information relevant to recovery, maintaining sobriety, cultivating spirituality/faith, and addiction, follow his blog @ helpingaddictsblog.wordpress.com. He may also be contacted for support meetings and group speaking engagements

http://www.outskirtspress.com/heretohelp