Sundown M Ranch

Prescription Drug Addictions and The Impact on Society

Have you found our recent blog posts, with their discussions of major drug addictions facing America today and common relapse triggers, to be helpful? If you would like to explore either of these topics further, the following resources may be of interest to you:

• Prescription drugs now cause more drug overdose deaths than any other drug in America. Read more about this serious problem in this article from USA Today.
• The National Institutes of Health is another good source of information about America’s current prescription drug addiction problem.
• Learn about five common drug and alcohol addiction relapse triggers and how they can be avoided at psychcentral.com.
• Read more about avoiding relapse while recovering from your drug or alcohol addiction in this Psychology Today article.
• You can find out more about the economic and social impact of drugs on American society at the U.S. Department of Justice’s website.

For more information about a residential and outpatient treatment center not far from Seattle that is renowned for its innovative addiction treatment strategies, call Sundown M Ranch at (509) 654-9033.

Drug Addiction Effects: "Cocaine Burnt a Hole Through My Nose"

All substance abuse problems have the potential to damage a drug user’s physical or mental health, but few of these health problems are as visibly disconcerting as those that result from excessive cocaine use. To find out how cocaine use can burn holes or perforations into an individual’s nose, check out this brief video.

In this video, you will learn how snorting cocaine damages the nasal lining inside a user’s nostril, what the effects of this damage are, and how a hole or perforation in the nose can be treated. The nose reconstruction specialist in this video warns viewers that the process of closing a perforation is complicated and not always successful.

Tips for Avoiding Common Relapse Triggers During Your Addiction Recovery

For most people who struggle with a drug or alcohol addiction, the most difficult part of the recovery process is avoiding a relapse. Read on for helpful advice on resisting common triggers that lead to drug or alcohol addiction relapse during the recovery process.

• Environment and Relationship Triggers

Returning to the environment in which you lived following in-house rehabilitation treatment exposes you to many or all of the factors that contributed to your drug or alcohol addiction in the first place. Continued outpatient treatment and participation in a 12-step program can help you resist environmental triggers, but you may also have to distance yourself from people in your life who neither respect nor support your decision to maintain your newfound sobriety.

• Overconfidence

While it is important to believe in your ability to stay sober, overconfidence leaves many individuals under the illusion that having just one drink, snorting just one line, or popping just one pill will not lead to a relapse. Unfortunately, many individuals do relapse. A combination of effective outpatient therapy and a supportive and encouraging social environment can help you abstain from the just-this-once use that may get you hooked again.

• Boredom

Just as boredom is the initial cause of many substance abuse addictions, it is a common relapse trigger. Try to keep yourself occupied with physically and mentally healthful group or solo activities that won’t leave you with too much time on your hands.

• Depression, Anxiety, and Personality Disorders

Diagnosed or not, physical and mental well-being problems that are not properly treated cause many individuals to relapse. It is important to seek effective treatment for your disorder, take advantage of outpatient care opportunities provided by your sober living community, and build a network of supportive individuals who will be there for you when you are worried relapse may be near.

Sundown M Ranch in Yakima has been successfully treating individuals with drug and alcohol addictions for more than four decades. Call (509) 457-0990 to learn more about our sober living community and the variety of helpful outpatient therapy treatment options we provide to our former residents to help them abstain from giving in to common relapse triggers.

2012 CDP Luncheon Award Winners

Most Common Substance Addictions Facing Americans in the 21st Century

Substance abuse is not a new problem, and it is likely to continue plaguing Americans for generations to come. The best way to mitigate the problems associated with drug and alcohol abuse is to familiarize ourselves with the most serious substance abuse addictions we are dealing with today, educate ourselves on the effects that these drugs have on individuals and society, and encourage substance abuse addicts we know and care about to seek effective treatment.

• Prescription Drug Abuse

Responsible for more fatal drug overdoses than drugs in any other category, prescribed medications that are not used as directed or sold on the black market constitute America’s fastest-growing drug problem. The National Institutes of Health reports that an estimated 20% of Americans have used prescription drugs for recreational or other non-medical purposes.

• Alcohol Addiction

Long used by Americans of all stripes and generally considered socially acceptable, alcohol is an addictive drug that is responsible for an estimated 100,000 deaths in America each year. Alcohol affects a user’s inhibitions and impairs decision-making abilities, making it a contributing factor in numerous traffic accident fatalities, homicides, and suicides every day. Long-term alcohol abuse can cause disease of the liver as well as the circulatory and respiratory systems.

• Methamphetamine (Specifically Crystal Meth)

Readily available in urban and rural areas across the country, crystal meth use has risen rapidly over the past decade. Highly addictive, this drug has the capacity to impact a person’s health and behavior in a number of harmful ways.

• Cocaine

Although cocaine use is on the decline, an estimated 25% of illicit drug users snorted cocaine in the year 2008. More than 10% of Americans who have drug addictions use cocaine on a regular basis.