A Letter From the Addict to the Addiction

For many, cutting ties with an addiction is similar to breaking up a long-term relationship. Going through detox and addiction treatment is effective, but it’s common to enter sobriety feeling like there are unresolved issues. After all, you’ve spent a significant amount of time entertaining your addiction with drug abuse, and you’ve likely let other relationships fall to the wayside as a result.

Like all unhealthy relationships, it’s time for you to end things with your addiction once and for all. It starts with you confronting your addiction head on.

A Letter to Addiction

Ongoing counseling and participation in addiction recovery programs are recommended long after your initial treatment ends. However, you may also find it useful to express your feelings via a letter. Your own thoughts and feelings will be unique, but here is an example that you may find helpful:

Dear Addiction;

For a time, it felt like all I needed in the world was you. For much of our time together, I felt happy and free of other desires. My pain seemed to go away, and I didn’t worry about life. I even let my other relationships disintegrate because of how strongly I felt towards you.

I now know that none of these feelings were genuine and that I was being manipulated throughout our time together. Whenever I felt like you were the key to getting through life, it was nothing more than a lie. For this and many more reasons, it is now time to bid you “goodbye” forever.

You see, I am so much more than just another person risking their life through drug abuse, and I will not be a statistic. As good as I felt when I was with you at times, I felt terrible during others. I missed out on important events and gave up things that once meant a lot to me. I hit some of the lowest points in my life, and I now realize that I am worth more. It is time for me to regain control. I will pursue new opportunities, achieve new goals, and adopt a healthy lifestyle. And to do all of this, I need you out of my life.

That said, I know I cannot blame you entirely for the way things have gone. Just as I am working to regain control in my life, I am also taking responsibility. I chose to start our relationship, and now I am choosing to end it. I know that saying “goodbye” to you for good will take hard work, but I am doing exactly that.

I will also apologize to those whom I have hurt because of how you influenced me. The relationship between you and I may be at an end, but it is not too late for me to rebuild my relationships with my family members and friends.

As challenging as this ending may be, I know it is the right thing to do. I look forward to new beginnings, and you and I will never cross paths again. Goodbye.

Writing Your Own Letter

The letter above is just an example, and yours should be focused on your own experience and feelings. It’s okay to feel sad while writing your letter, but it’s also important to focus on the good things that are about to come. Writing your letter is already a major sign of progress.

What you do with your completed letter is up to you. Many people choose to keep the letter in a safe place where they can revisit it occasionally for inspiration or to see how far they’ve come since writing it. Others choose to destroy their letters as a sign of being done with their addiction once and for all.

If you write your letter as part of an addiction treatment group or in a counseling session, you may be able to share it with others. Doing so can help you relate to others suffering from drug abuse and help you realize you are not alone. Your letter can also serve as a source of inspiration for others.

It’s Not Too Late to Get Help

Grappling with an addiction is not easy, but it is not something you have to keep living with. With the right treatment and addiction recovery plan, you can successfully achieve a life of sobriety. If you are in the Texas or Arizona area and are looking for the right addiction treatment program, our team at Soba Recovery is here for you. We offer comprehensive detox and inpatient treatment for drug abuse, and if you’re reading this, it is not too late to get the help you need. Reach out to us today to learn more about our services!

Cocaine Addiction: How To Get Help

Cocaine abuse is, unfortunately, an all too common problem in the United States. In fact, over 900,000 Americans met the criteria indicating cocaine addiction as of 2014. Being addicted to cocaine can have negative consequences for an individual’s health and personal and professional lives.

Fortunately, addiction treatment for people who have become dependent on cocaine consumption offers success. If you or a loved one is addicted to cocaine and looking to stop using, don’t wait to reach out to get help. At Soba Recovery, we’re waiting for your call. 

Cocaine and Its Effects on the Body

Cocaine is a drug that stimulates the nervous system. It can be consumed in a variety of ways. The most common way to consume cocaine is through snorting this drug in powder form. However, cocaine can also be smoked or injected. 

When cocaine is ingested, it produces a euphoric effect. It can also create sensations in users of being highly energetic. The effects that cocaine consumption offers can result in both physical and psychological addictions. Physically, the body can become dependent on the drug so that withdrawal symptoms such as fatigue, depression, and irritability are noticed when affected individuals no longer consume cocaine. Psychologically, chronic cocaine users can become dependent on the drug and experience thoughts and feelings of needing it to get through the day. 

Perhaps the biggest reason why it’s so easy to become addicted to cocaine is because cocaine use produces high dopamine levels in the brain. This means that cocaine use creates a strong and intense reward response in the brain. Regular cocaine users enjoy this response and their brains are reprogrammed by routine cocaine consumption. If they don’t continue to use cocaine, their dopamine levels can drop abnormally low so that they feel very depressed and desperate to use cocaine again. 

Symptoms of Cocaine Addiction

If you’re suffering from a cocaine addiction, you probably feel like you’re unable to keep up with personal, professional, and financial commitments. You may also notice your addiction is starting to affect your health. Lack of appetite, unintentional weight loss, feeling paranoid, and feeling depressed, are all negative side effects to cocaine use. If you notice these symptoms in someone else, they may need help with their addiction as well. 

Seeking Treatment for Cocaine Addiction

Addiction to cocaine can be treated in a variety of ways. At Soba Recovery, we know overcoming addiction is not always easy. We do everything we can to make you feel as safe and comfortable as possible. We offer numerous treatment options that can help you overcome your cocaine addiction.

The first step to the recovery process is detoxification. Detoxification is an essential part of overcoming cocaine addiction or any other type of drug addiction. Detoxification is the process of ridding your body of cocaine and any other harmful substances. It’s also the first step to recovery One of the most difficult parts of detoxification is dealing with withdrawal symptoms. While withdrawal symptoms can be difficult to handle, we at Soba Recovery make sure we’re doing everything we can to ease the withdrawals. We also monitor your vitals 24/7 to make sure no health complications arise during detox. 

After detox, there are a few different treatment options for you. We usually recommend clients complete residential inpatient treatment, then partial hospitalization, outpatient, and sober living. We know addiction and treatment is different for everyone so if the above mentioned isn’t your path, that’s ok. We know some people aren’t able to complete residential treatment because they have personal obligations at home. Below is a breakdown of each treatment option: 

Residential Inpatient 

Residential inpatient treatment is typically the next best step to take in recovery after detoxification. On average your stay with us will be about one month. During this time you’ll live at our treatment facility and have round the clock care. You’ll eat your meals here, attend group, and individual therapy. Residential inpatient care is an excellent way to detox and overcome withdrawal symptoms with the assistance of doctors and counselors who have a great deal of experience regarding the treatment of drug addiction. This is the time where you’ll also start to dig deep and find out the root cause of your cocaine addiction.

Partial Hospitalization

Partial hospitalization can be used as a step down from residential inpatient treatment or in lieu of. The program is similar to residential inpatient but you don’t sleep at our facility. You spend the day attending different therapy sessions and connecting with others around you, but get to go home to your own bed at night. You’ll also focus on finding out some triggers for your addiction. 

Outpatient and Sober Living

Outpatient treatment continues the therapies offered during inpatient and partial hospitalization. Alot of our clients will attend outpatient while in a sober living home. These treatment options give you the flexibility in your schedule to get a job and start to get back to “normal” life while still working on your recovery. Outpatient and sober living are both great tools when preventing relapse. 

Get Help for Cocaine Addiction Today 

The sooner you or your loved one seeks help for cocaine addiction, the sooner this severe problem can be overcome. The first step to getting the treatment you or your loved one needs for cocaine addiction is to contact us at SOBA Recovery Center. We’ll provide you with more information and answer your questions regarding treatment options.

At Soba Recovery Center, we’re here to help. We offer treatment programs for cocaine addiction in Mesa, Arizona and San Antonio, Texas. Contact us to learn more about our cocaine addiction treatment centers and the drug addiction treatments we provide.

8 Signs Someone You Love May be Using Drugs

Drug addiction doesn’t happen overnight. It generally starts with occasional, recreational use and gradually with repeated use; it progresses into the need for regular use regardless of the risk to your relationships, your health, your career, and your finances. Addiction is the psychological and physical need to continue use, regardless of the effects. The amount of time it takes before substance abuse takes hold on someone’s life varies from person to person, but eventually, the individual feels compelled to seek out their substance of choice due to strong cravings. It’s important to keep in mind that most people with a substance abuse problem tend to keep their addiction a secret and it’s unlikely that they admit to the problem. Learning the signs that someone you care about is abusing drugs and/or alcohol may be the difference between life and death. Here are 8 signs that someone you care about may be using drugs.

1. Physical Changes in Appearance

Changes in appearance are the most common sign of drug abuse. Some of the most common changes in appearance may include:

  • Weight loss or gain
  • Pale skin
  • Changes in dental health
  • Hair loss
  • Fatigue

Keep in mind that these changes may be gradual, but in many situations, the changes are relatively sudden and often times very drastic. The person may also have bloodshot or glassy eyes, their pupils may constrict or dilate, they may have a constantly runny nose, and/or they may have sores on their skin, which are often caused by scratching, injections, and/or picking at the skin.

2. Personal Hygiene

It’s also common for someone with a substance abuse problem to have a decline in their personal hygiene. If the person appears unkempt, such as not showering, brushing their teeth, and wearing the same clothes daily, they may have a substance abuse problem and should start addiction treatment as soon as possible.

3. Missed Work or School

Although people who have a substance abuse problem do their best to manage their everyday life, unfortunately, their addiction generally wins in the end. They often miss a lot of work or school, which is often the result of all-night binges or simply losing interest in anything but their substance of choice. Substance abuse changes the way people look at their responsibilities. Their priorities shift and typically in ways that aren’t admirable. For instance, someone that is typically dependable will begin to forget appointments, miss deadlines, and be just generally unreliable.

4. Money Problems

An addiction is an expensive habit, one that can cost hundreds, even thousands of dollars weekly in order to maintain daily use of substance supply. Individuals with a drug abuse problem often spend large, unexplained amounts of money, drain their bank account, and go outside their budget in order to supply their habit. Unfortunately, once they have depleted their personal finances, people with a substance abuse problem often turn to steal money and/or items that can be sold. If the person is constantly in need of financial assistance because they “lost” their money or their money is “missing”, it may be a sign of drug abuse. It is important to not enable the person by giving them money to buy their drugs. It is essential that you stand your ground, even if they become angry or try to put pressure on you – enabling does not help them.

5. Poor Judgment

Individuals that have a drug abuse problem will usually do anything to obtain their substance of choice, including participating in risky, dangerous behaviors, such as lying, stealing, selling drugs, and engaging in unsafe sexual activity. These behaviors often result in the individual being arrested and spending time in jail; however, this generally doesn’t deter them and once they are released from jail, they will continue participating in these risky behaviors.

6. Unhealthy Friendships

Changes in friendship may not be uncommon, but some changes may be drastic. For instance, a newly abandoned longtime friend will have no idea why the person stopped being friends with them. People with a drug abuse problem may change friends by simply changing the crowd they hang out with; this is because they want to spend time with others who have similar habits.

7. Change in Behavior

One of the most common signs of a substance abuse problem is that the person becomes defensive, secretive, and isolated. They tend to refuse to answer questions with a straight answer. For instance, when asked where they have been, the answer is typically something like “why do you care” or it may be as simple as “out”.  Their mood is generally unpredictable and may include sudden outbursts, acting erratically, and may shift suddenly from positive to negative.

8. Denial

Someone with a drug abuse problem will not only deny they have a problem, but they will deny anything and everything they are confronted with. In many situations, the denial isn’t only for your benefit, but for theirs as well. It’s typically difficult for someone with a drug abuse problem to admit they need addiction treatment and it’s because they really do not think they have a problem. Many people with an addiction will not reach out for help or quit using drugs/alcohol on their own.

It’s important to remember that addiction is a disease that affects everyone. The individual with the addiction is affected physically, psychologically, and emotionally as are their family and friends. People with an addiction problem often need loved ones to step in and help them get the help they need, so by knowing the signs of addiction, you can address the situation as early as possible and encourage them to get the life-saving help they need.

If you are concerned that someone you care about may have a substance abuse problem, contact Soba recovery for information about how we can help.

How Your Eyes Look on Drugs

Substance abuse impacts your eyesight and vision.

Alcohol and Cocaine, THC, hallucinogens and a myriad of synthetic drugs have been scientifically documented to cause nausea, moodiness, sleepiness, unsteadiness, and aggression. They are also harmful to your eyes too. The abuse of these substances has scientifically proven to cause eye strain, cataracts, vision blurriness, in addition to temporary and permanent blindness, induce nausea, moodiness, sleepiness, unsteadiness, and aggression.

Cigarette Smoking

Cigarette smoking can injure your cataracts which affect the crystalline lenses of your eyes. Your Cataracts is a space of your eye that makes up 1/3 of the images that the brain develops by focusing light onto the retina.

How your eyes look on Dextromethorphan

The abuse of Dextromethorphan can cause you to display symptoms of drunkenness. The extended abuse of this drug can cause sporadic eye movements known as nystagmus. Dextromethorphan is an ingredient commonly used in cough, cold and flu medicines.

How your eyes look on Cocaine

Physicians can utilize cocaine in a medical facility as an eye anesthetic.  On the contrary, if someone offers you cocaine outside of a medical facility you should not take it; you should decline on the grounds that they are not a licensed physician. Cocaine abuse artificially affects your eyes react to light for abnormal periods of time. There are many ophthalmic side effects relating to the improper use of cocaine; you might be unable to sense any extensive injuries right away. However, over time, lesions on the retina and corneal ulcers can occur. Prolonged abuse of cocaine can also cause pain, fuzzy vision and permanent blindness.

How your eyes look on Heroin

Individuals who experience heroin addiction and drug abuse may display symptoms of having hard and constricted pupils. Typically their pupils will not react properly to lower levels of light, which can impair their vision. In addition, prolonged constriction of their arteries or blood vessels can lead to temporary blurred vision or permanent vision loss.

How your eyes look on Benzodiazepines

Benzodiazepines, chemicals within alcohol and drugs can produce a subtle misalignment of your eyes.  This can enhance the feeling of nauseousness and lightheadedness; which could also lead to vomiting.

Red or Bloodshot eyes are a prevailing symptom of intoxication from Alcohol abuse. Blood vessels spread from the ophthalmic artery curving in a pattern to cross over the optic nerve. They penetrate the back of the eye and run medially near the  Choroid and Sclera Blood vessels which can swell and become enlarged. There are around 6 to 12 Blood vessels for each eye. Symptoms of nausea in the eyes can include variation in the eyes, abnormal pupil diameter, irregular eye movement, and the discoloration of the iris can be used to help one gauge whether another person is inebriated.

Inhalants that cause brain and eye damage

Paint thinner, glue, or nitrous should not be inhaled. These substances can cause brain damage as well as eye deterioration. Abusing these inhalants can cause you to feel intoxicated and light-headed. The inhalation of these substances will cause the eyes to water and change to a reddish color.

Methamphetamine and eye damage

Methamphetamine abuse can cause the eyes to move in irregular motions. In fact, the movements can be almost ten times faster than your normal eye movement. These irregular movements can damage and strain your eye muscles over time.

How your eyes are affected using legal and illegal narcotics

The abuse of legal narcotic drugs such as hydrocodone, fentanyl, and morphine has the potential to damage your eyes at high doses because they can constrict the pupils. Illegal narcotic drugs such as crack cocaine can also constrict the pupils. As extended abuse occurs symptoms of an overdose will be evident because the pupils will not properly respond to changes in light.

How your eyes look on Phencyclidine or PCP

Phencyclidine, otherwise known as PCP, has a pungent chemical taste. PCP can be ground into a white crystalline powder that can be dissolved into alcohol or water. In this form, the drug can easily be applied to leafy plants like mint, marijuana, parsley, and oregano. The powdery form makes it easier for the body to quickly absorb the substances into the bloodstream. Phencyclidine or PCP can cause a user to experience rapid eye motions that the user cannot control.  On the other hand, a person who uses PCP can develop an expressionless stare for 4-6 hours. During this time they might not respond to direct visual cues. The tablet forms can be mixed easily with colors. The idea is to make the drug look like legitimate medicine. If it looks like a tablet it will be easier to distribute.

In conclusion.

The chemicals in the aforementioned drugs can cause addiction because they will compel you to feel carefree, elated or just upbeat; they manage the neurotransmitters in your brain. These chemicals have the ability to affect several physiological functions in your body including the muscles in your eyes. Vision is a crucial role in our ability to balance, adjust our bodies in space, and observe the pattern or movement of variables within our surroundings. If you are taking any of the aforementioned drugs, you should seek medical assistance right away. The prolonged usage of these drugs can ultimately cause you to lose your sight.