Recovery is a process for those who have lived an addictive lifestyle. There are behavioral changes that will not happen for long periods of time, if ever for many. Relapse is a common occurrence and honesty does not occur all at once, just because the substance is removed from the addict.

Since the onset of the 12-step recovery programs, there has been a problem for those new to the groups with those who have less than perfect behaviors (which is everyone!). Because they have learned strongly the ways to manipulate and coerce others, this behavior may continue to develop in their recovery. New members may encounter those whose motives are less than sterling.

Women especially may fall prey to men who are less than forthcoming about the reasons they want to date them or see them even for an innocuous sounding cup of coffee. Because both parties have damaged ideas about what constitutes appropriate behavior, feelings may be hurt and someone emotionally damaged in the exchange. This is a frequent occurrence as well.

How to arm newly recovering clients against the possibility of encountering predators (or being one!) in 12-step groups is a challenge for many who work with treatment. There are numerous things that should be taught to clients. The first thing that they need to know is that 12-step groups can, and many do, include members who have done things that are criminal to others. Sometimes there are people who have committed assault on women (or men), convicted rapists, suspected rapists, child molesters, and burglars; perhaps others who have killed someone and served time, and certainly quite a few guilty of dishonesty and stealing, whether caught and convicted or not. These persons are welcomed to 12-step recovery groups, because the nature of the group is one of recovery. It is truly believed, and the idea embraced, in these groups that everyone who wishes to recover and considers themselves a member of the group can be and is.

Being a member of a recovery group does not guarantee that they have changed all of the behaviors that were problematic socially. Many talk a great game in the meetings, seeming quite charming and spiritually centered, but are still perpetrating great dishonesty outside the group, and sometimes with other members. There are stories in abundance about this type of situation. It must be stressed that everyone should be somewhat careful when becoming involved with persons that they do not know. Just because they belong to a group that no longer participates in addictive behavior, or that they say they do, does not mean that they do or that they have ceased all other unacceptable activity. Money still gets stolen from the meetings, clubs and members personally. Cons are perpetrated, and (sadly) people are assaulted by other members. It is
important that new members use discretion and good sound judgment in forming relationships with others in this setting.

Most importantly, it is important that families understand the need for mothers and fathers to be extra careful when taking children to meetings. It is sometimes necessary, but should be avoided as much as possible. They are too young for the language that is frequently used, and they are not able to understand the nature of what is happening anyway. Some meetings will ask them to leave, some have childcare arranged with another member. The stories of children who are hurt, molested and learn things that are inappropriate for them to learn are abundant. Please encourage parents to find alternatives to this practice.

Kelly McClanahan has an MSW in clinical social work, with a specialization in substance abuse treatment. Having worked in this field for over 20 years, she is currently working on her certification as an addictions’ counselor.

Mental health professionals are often resistant to phrasing in Step 1 in 12-Step recovery, which states the member is “powerless” over their addiction (substance). The reason for this resistance is especially strong for women substance abusers. Many women have been traumatized both before and during their substance abuse by men who held the power in their relationships and abused that power. In many instances, women have been subjected to sexual abuse as children by fathers or other males who were either older, stronger or both. Cases of rape can be underlying cause of shame for these women. There are women, too, who drink and are involved in sexual relationships that they would not have participated in when not drinking or drugging. There is sexual, physical or emotional abuse that women substance abusers have been working to forget, situations where they were powerless. While this is the case for some men, it is more often true for women. Their sense of shame is further deepened upon hearing the term “powerless” in early recovery.

This becomes a sense of hopelessness because they cannot handle substances that had temporarily allowed them to forget their past. Therapeutic communities strive to empower those who are disenfranchised and/or disadvantaged in some aspect. They work with these members to give them a voice where before they had been silent. For women who have been physically, sexually or emotionally abused, “powerless” may not be the desired term to use therapeutically. However, there is much to be said for the importance of this particular word. While it is not desirable to discount the trauma(s) abused women have experienced, it is important to recognize how ineffectual an addict’s best efforts have been in the battle of the addiction. They have brought all in their power to bear against the ravages of the substance abuse.

Time after time, they have used all of the will power at their command to NOT do what they are compelled to do, causing further harm and damage to their lives. Seen through the lens of society and their family and friends, this behavior is certainly out of their control. Few who approach early recovery from substance abuse want to believe that they are powerless over their addiction. It damages the fragile ego defenses that have kept them going despite the horrific effects of substance abuse. For many, however, admitting defeat is exactly the remedy that allows these defenses to be torn down. Destroying the defenses that have supported the substance abuse behaviors and fed the denial that has kept it going is necessary before any inroads to recovery can be made. Most persons will admit that they experienced a sense of relief in admitting that they could not do this thing themselves. They simply could not stop! Our social environment praises those who overcome adversity and triumph over calamity.

When it comes to substance abuse, the hardest thing for those who are introduced to the term “powerless” is the idea that they have somehow failed. What is important to remember when encountering the shame of becoming “powerless” in this instance is that they are soon to be asked to find a power that can help them resolve this hurdle. Even women who have been abused and suffered the pain of that kind of powerlessness can appreciate the strength to be found in allowing assistance in order to gain mastery and power once again.

Kelly McClanahan has an MSW in clinical social work, with a specialization in substance abuse treatment. Having worked in this field for over 20 years, she is currently working on her certification as an addictions’ counselor.

We know when we’re sad. We don’t need the dictionary definition of depression, “a mental state characterized by a pessimistic sense of inadequacy and a despondent lack of activity” to explain the condition. But when it is truly an illness, not just a passing emotion, doctors do a complete physiological evaluation to determine the extent of the problem, whether it is a mild case of depression or an extreme condition that would require depression rehabilitation.

We are fortunate in this century, that getting help for depression no longer means getting shock treatments or a frontal lobotomy. The father of the lobotomy “Walter Freeman believed lobotomies worked because the procedure severed connections between the frontal lobes of the brain and the thalamus, thought to be the seat of human emotion, which the mentally ill apparently had in overabundance. ”

Success with Depression Rehab

Luckily, that treatment is now recognized to be the barbaric procedure it is, and doctors have turned to actual science for answers.

Nowadays the cause of depression is thought to be due to chemical imbalances in the brain. Contemporary scientists have come up with a variety of medications to correct those imbalances. Doctors select antidepressants based on their patient’s symptoms but there’s no one magic pill or one magic protocol. The drug side effects differ, as do their effectiveness. Dosages and prescriptions are adjusted over time as doctors use their best judgment on which specific medications the symptoms respond to–or don’t respond to.

Depression rehab is not limited to drugs, however; it is combined with a variety of supportive practices, such as psychotherapy, cognitive and even physical therapy. The point of depression rehab is to treat not just the body, not just the mind, not just the symptoms, but instead to treat the whole person.

There are increased chances of developing a depressive disorder if the eating disorder goes untreated for a longer period, and however at the same time, depression and other mental health problems are also known to add to the danger of developing an eating disorder. The fact is there is a relationship between depression and eating disorders and other mental health problems can coexist with both. Both depression and eating disorders are becoming increasingly common. According to the Mental Health Foundation 10% of the population in the UK will experience some form of depression every year, and 2% of women as well as some men will suffer from an eating disorder. Anorexia is more likely to affect young women whereas bulimia is more likely to affect older women and is more common than anorexia. Compulsive eating affects both women and men equally and approximately 10% of all people with eating disorders are men.What is a depressive disorder?

A depressive disorder can be defined as a set of symptoms ranging from mild to severe that coexist with overwhelming feelings of sadness and an inability to take pleasure in activities that were once enjoyed to the extent that they interfere with normal daily routines. There are several different types of depressive disorders including clinical depression, bipolar disorder or manic depression, post natal depression, seasonal affective disorder or SAD and post traumatic stress disorder. No one knows why some people become depressed and not others, but low self esteem is known to increase the risk of developing a depressive disorder and is also an underlying factor in eating disorders.

Symptoms of depression

Feeling tired and lethargic for most of the time; Persistent low moods and sadness, a feeling of despondency; Sleep disturbances, either inability to sleep or sleeping too much; A pessimistic outlook on life; Feeling anxious and nervous; Feelings of worthlessness or guilt, low self esteem; Frightening and irrational thoughts; Loss of pleasure in activities and lack of interest in sex; Avoidance of social contact and social situations; Changes in appetite involving either loss of appetite or an increased appetite and associated weight loss or weight gain; Emotional outbursts for no apparent reason and Irritability

Eating disorders

There are three main types of eating disorders and these include:

Anorexia Nervosa: Characterized by a fear of putting on weight to such an extent that the person doesn’t eat or eats very little, sometimes to the extent that they can starve themselves to death. By controlling what, when, and if they eat, they feel safe, secure and in control. Feelings behind anorexia include a low self esteem, a distorted self image and fear of rejection. It is a potentially life threatening condition.

Bulimia Nervosa: Someone with bulimia eats copious amounts of food and then feel guilty and out of control so try to purge themselves by vomiting, starving themselves or taking laxatives. It is harder to detect than anorexia because the weight remains relatively stable and the sufferer keeps their behaviour hidden, it is also more common than anorexia.

Compulsive eating: Involves eating for comfort or for emotional security and is characterized by nibbling all day without being able to stop. People who eat compulsively are usually overweight. It can be a way of denying or avoiding problems and is often associated with low self esteem, feelings of worthlessness, loneliness and emptiness.

Possible triggers of depression and eating disorders

There is not a single cause that will trigger either depression or an eating disorder as combinations of factors are involved. For example:

Stressful events and experiences such as problems at home, bullying, abuse, loss of someone close, rejection, failing at school or work, coping with puberty, worries about sexuality, etc. can all result in a extreme stress which can act as a trigger; Either physical or mental health problems can trigger an eating disorder or depression. For example, someone struggling with a physical illness or disability can become depressed. Depression or anxiety related disorders can trigger an eating disorder, and someone with an eating disorder can develop depression – both are linked; Low self esteem and feelings of insecurity or feeling out of control of ones life can increase the risk of developing depression or an eating disorder or both.

Some other psychological disorders that can accompany eating disorders include:

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder; Manic depression; Panic disorders; Anxiety disorders; Post traumatic stress disorder; Attention Deficit Disorder. At the root of eating disorders are negative feelings including low self esteem, guilt, shame, sadness, anger, stress, feeling deserving of pain and punishment, all of which can be symptoms of depression too.

Conclusion

The biggest step to combating both depression and any eating disorder is to admit there is a problem in the first place as many people will deny there is anything wrong and without appropriate treatment, these mental health problems can continue indefinitely, and can even be life threatening. In order to attain a complete recovery then it is essential to inquire about help from a qualified medical professional to receive a precise diagnosis and the right course of treatment, support and guidance.

All of us go through the sadness for short time but suffering from prolonged depression that stays weeks, months and even years is different. Vicki was not unusual from anyone else; she had a family, a job and a circle of friends who she saw regularly. However, Vicki suffered from an unexplained prolonged sadness that remained years, a disorder called depression. And after years of anti-depressants, therapy, counseling and even natural treatment; she was finally cured! And Vicki understood a few things along the way…

Traditional Depression Treatments: What I wish I would have known

1.) The Utterly Ineffective: Many depression experts focus on “positive thinking,” energy work or fads that, while entertaining in their way, sap away hope from their victims and leave unfortunate sufferers in their wake no closer to true happiness at all.

2.) The Prohibitively Expensive: While psychotherapy and counseling have been proven again and again to have a positive effect in the ongoing fight against depression, the sheer cost of this one-on-one depression treatments puts it out of the reach for many sufferers and can cause a huge amount of stress and even sadness (more factors to heighten depression) for people. Sessions with a professional therapist can cost $80, $100, $200 or more per hour, hour after hour, week after week for years with only the smallest, barely noticeable changes in attitude, persona and happiness. Therapy can easily add up to thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars per year.

3.) The Dangerous, Side-Effect-Laden “Magic Pills”: Listen, we’d all like to be able to swallow a pill that would destroy our bad moods and rocket us to a state of positive, powerful happiness. Though, the truth is ‘magic pills’ is that many are simply cover-ups or band-aids to what the true problem is. And the terrible side-effects to these medicines can be completely harsh to your body, personality and soul.