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What is it about mental health and addiction that go together so frequently? It’s a question we wanted to dive into during this months podcast episode. Upfront, we’d like to just say that they don’t have to go together and they are definitely not always linked in ways you might think. However, we do frequently hear from people who ask about this very subject.

Mental health is an important subject to consider when talking about addiction.

Do you have a mental issue that is perhaps the cause of your addiction?

Did your addiction potentially cause a mental health issue for you?

What came first? The Chicken or the egg theory.

There’s this thing in the addiction community called the chicken or the egg theory. We talk about this when we talk about co-occurring disorders. A co-occuring disorder is when someone is diagnosed with a mental health disorder as well as a substance use disorder. The reason we call it the chicken or the egg theory is because many times we don’t know what came first.

Co-occurring disorders – why you have to treat both at the same time

If you were already struggling with a mental health disorder then it’s important that you treat that at the same time as your addiction.. You’re going to need the help of a mental health professional.

Here’s why you must treat both at the same time.

You can go into recovery from a substance use disorder by simply not drinking or taking any mind altering substances. That’s great if that happens and for some, that’s all that’s needed to live a productive healthy life. But for others, there’s much more to it than that.

Unsure? Take the 30 day test

Oftentimes, in the beginning of sobriety, people go through the honeymoon phase. This means that after detox they feel quite well, ambitious, and energetic. But then once real life starts to set back in, mental health symptoms may start to appear and triggers or post acute withdrawal syndrome start and start to become super strong. This is one of the main reasons for relapse. But if you’re armed with the knowledge of what to expect you can prevent this.

So, the 30 day test is this. If you stop your behavior or substance use for 30 days and you don’t have any major mental health struggles then you’re likely okay to just keep on doing what you’re doing and continuing to take care of your mental health by doing things from home. However, if after 30 day of abstaining from your addiction you still have mental health struggles such as anxiety, depression, thoughts of suicide, and so on then it’s important that you make an appointment with a mental health professional.

Those symptoms will not go away on their own.

You need to take action and take charge so that you can also obtain a life free from your addiction.

How to find a mental health professional in your area and what to expect.

So now that we’ve talked about how important it is to tackle your mental health at the same time as your addiction let’s talk about how to go about finding a mental health professional.

There are many ways you can talk to a professional. The first thing you’ll want to do it decide what kind of professional you need.

Some people start with counseling. Counseling is a good way to get professional help if you’re struggling with things are that are currently going on. Let’s say you’re dealing with the death of a loved one, having a hard time being a parent, or maybe you are having problems in your marriage. A counselor is there to counsel, to give professional advice.

Some of you may prefer a therapist. A therapist will provide you with therapy. There are different types of therapy that therapists can offer but in the grand scheme of things, a therapist will be able to treat psychological problems through therapy. So for example, if you are dealing with past trauma, severe anxiety, depression, etc. you may need therapy. Now therapists do not prescribe medication, they are skilled in a specific niche such as psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, family therapy, etc. You just need to do some research to find out what type of therapy may be best for you.

Then there are psychiatrists. Psychiatrists treat mental health disorders through the use of medication. They are the ones who will prescribe anxiety medication, anti depressants and so on. In order for a psychiatrist to prescribe medication though, you do need to have a mental health diagnosis.

If you’re unsure about what you need, many behavioral health centers offer what is called a mental health intake. A mental health intake is done by a mental health professional and it’s where you go in and sit down with someone for an a hour or two and they’ll ask you questions and then give their professional advice on what they think you may need.

Taking care of your mental health (self-care, etc.)

Taking care of your mental health should always be a priority for everyone. You should think of this on the same lines of how taking care of your physical health is important.

So there are things you can do proactively and in your everyday life to make sure your mental health is where it needs to be.

Self-care looks different for everyone and what you do depends on what your mind, body and soul need in certain situations or periods in your life. A solid self care plan has been shown to reduce anxiety, depression and can lift your overall mood and ability to cope with day to day situations.

A message from Live Rehab:

Are you looking for online rehab or alternatives to AA or NA?

Here at Live Rehab, our online drug and alcohol courses help people obtain sobriety without having to leave their homes.

Does rehab really work?

For some people, traditional rehab does work but it’s clear that the option is not for everyone. This is why we have created rehab alternatives. Taking courses online means you have the flexibility to work on your sobriety on your own time.

Visit liverehab.com/pricing for more information.

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You’ve got to work, at least until the robots take over, so what does that mean for your recovery and sobriety?

What steps do you need to take to protect yourself and your career when you have an addiction?

We’re talking addiction and work this episode of the podcast because it’s an important subject to dive into. You spend a large amount of your life at either work or school and undoubtedly your addictions, sobriety and recovery will impact many of the relationships there too.

In fact, you can’t really avoid having them interconnected at all. When you consider just how much time you are spending at these places, it becomes really critical that you think carefully about what actions you do or don’t take.

This months episode breaks down as follows:

• Reading the room

  • When fighting an addiction there’s never a one size fits all category and that’s what makes professional working or educational relationships that much more complicated. Some people have great relationships with their co-workers and can trust confiding in them while others may put their careers in jeopardy by doing so. Some people work for companies where they are protected by a union a HR while others risk getting fired if their company found out about their addiction. Before saying anything to anyone, if that’s what you choose to do, it’s critical that you know the ramifications of doing so. It may help you to be honest or honesty may cause you to get fired on the spot. Does anyone even need to know about your addiction or will an explanation of your behavior portray you as honest and forthcoming? You need to read the room, know your rights, and understand all possible outcomes before taking any action.

• Explaining your addiction

  • Everyone will fall into one of two categories when it comes to each professional relationship you have: you either tell them about your addiction or you don’t. With that being said, each professional relationship you have may need a different approach. Some people you may want to tell while others you may not want or need to tell.

• Having a back-up plan

  • You might be in a situation where you were partaking in your addiction with your classmates or co-workers but aren’t ready to tell them the whole truth and to be honest, when it comes to professional relationships it’s really none of their business why you stopped drinking or smoking or whatever. If you find yourself needing to have excuses because well, it’s the workforce and that’s just reality it’s a good idea to have backup plans always in your pocket.

• Toxic co-workers or classmates

  • Toxic co-workers can cause so much distress and turmoil especially when tackling an addiction. We’ve all dealt with toxic co-workers or classmates at some point in our lives but when those toxic people start to interfere with your sobriety or your ability to stay away from your addiction it’s important to recognize that and do what it takes to keep your distance. Toxicity doesn’t generally just go away on it’s own so waiting it out to see if things get better secretly hoping they quit or change schools or jobs  is never a good idea. If there is a person or people in your professional life who are making you miserable do whatever it takes to distance yourself. If that mean changing classes if you’re in school or changing departments at your work then take immediate action to do so. Your ability to fight your addiction and fight it for good depends on you having solid and healthy relationships and that includes professional relationships too.

• When to talk to authorities

  • You may be trying to fight your addiction but sometimes work or school is what consistently causes you to feel triggered or have a relapse. What do you do if you feel like you have exhausted all of your options and you’re in position where someone, multiple people, or even the work itself is so stressful that you feel like if something doesn’t change drastically you may be putting your ability to fight your addiction, your sobriety or even your career on the line. Before it gets to that breaking point you may have to talk to someone. It’s better to take action now because it doesn’t always get easier.

• Knowing when to search for a new job

  • Even if you do all these things – what if nothing changes and no matter how hard you try you just keep feeling like you’re treading water? That’s a quite common place to be in when fighting an addiction. Sometimes when you are fighting an addiction you have to think about making big changes and one of those changes may be looking for a new job or a new school especially if your work situation is connected to your addiction in any way.

Thanks for listening; if you’re struggling with addiction and sobriety, check out our online platform, Sobriety Success. Take a trial of the platform to see how it can help you with online courses, monthly mastermind sessions, Q&A forum and much more.

Get started today!

A message from Live Rehab:

Are you looking for online rehab or alternatives to AA or NA?

Here at Live Rehab, our online drug and alcohol courses help people obtain sobriety without having to leave their homes.

Does rehab really work?

For some people, traditional rehab does work but it’s clear that the option is not for everyone. This is why we have created rehab alternatives. Taking courses online means you have the flexibility to work on your sobriety on your own time.

Visit liverehab.com/pricing for more information.

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Loneliness in recovery is a very real and common relapse trigger. Unfortunately, your friendship situation might be a lot more (or less) complicated than say your family. What should and can you do about friends?

Join us for this episode of Addiction Radio as we discover some of the most important elements you need to be thinking of when it comes to friendships in recovery. You don’t want to feel alone but you also don’t want to be in a situation where your friends are dragging you back into things which jeopardise your sobriety.

We’ll cover why friendships are important, the signs of unhealthy relationships, the signs of healthy friendships, when to walk away, keeping friendships strong in recovery and how to regain trust.

So dive on in and listen – don’t forget to rate, subcribe and comment if you can!

A message from Live Rehab:

Are you looking for online rehab or alternatives to AA or NA?

Here at Live Rehab, our online drug and alcohol courses help people obtain sobriety without having to leave their homes.

Does rehab really work?

For some people, traditional rehab does work but it’s clear that the option is not for everyone. This is why we have created rehab alternatives. Taking courses online means you have the flexibility to work on your sobriety on your own time.

Visit liverehab.com/pricing for more information.