Don’t let fear of the first step put you off!
Wednesday, 12 August 2009.
Originally from express article 12 August 2009
 |
| Diana Rands from CADS. |
There comes a time when the negative consequences of our drug taking outweigh the benefits.
For some this realisation can occur quite early in the piece, and with the right support, lives can be turned around. For others there is a long history of increasing use, until using is just to stop the effects of withdrawal. Fun has nothing to do with it anymore! These are the people who are physically dependent on their drug of choice.
Dependence is the ultimate betrayal – when our best friend (our drug) turns on us. It’s as if we are no longer taking the drugs – instead, they are taking us. And to places we wouldn’t have thought we'd be going. A lot of people call this place 'rock bottom’. The good news is that even here there are options to get back on track, you can leave it behind (at least for a year or two) and/or seek treatment, which could include substitution therapy, inpatient or outpatient counselling. All it takes is courage and the support of true (human) friends/loved ones/support services/self-help groups. Support is essential because having and maintaining the belief that we are worth making changes for, can be very difficult at this stage. Courage means taking action in spite of the fear.
You can do it.
One of the first hurdles for those who want to stop using is too safely detox. The most dangerous drug of all to detox from is alcohol, closely followed by benzodiazepines (benzos). Both have the potential for seizures. It is a really important that anyone who is physically dependent on one of these (or other) drugs, seeks professional advice if they are considering stopping using. It may be that they need to be medically managed (for poly-drug use, alcohol, opiates, over the counter medications and benzos), in which case they can come to us at Auckland CADS, or it might be that the social detox run by Auckland City Mission is suitable (for alcohol, cannabis, methamphetamine etc). All provide a safe place to be, with friendly professional staff on hand.
Here at Auckland CADS our Community Home Detox Service (CHDS) provides support to people in their own homes. The CHDS team really know their stuff and help people safely withdraw in conjunction with their GP who provides ongoing local support and medication. This option means that people who prefer to be in their own familiar environment or need to continue working or caring for children and/or pets can carry on with their current lives while they take that first step.
If more support is necessary, for example if people have physical and/or mental health issues and lack of social support in their home environment CADS have the inpatient unit (IPU) which provides 24 hour medical supervision. We have 10 beds, a spa pool, and a very clever physiotherapist along with other wonderful gay friendly staff. We understand it is no fun to withdraw and we do our very best to make it as pleasant as possible.
To access any of our detox options, you only have to either ring us (see below) or come in to Pitman House – 50 Carrington Rd, Pt Chevalier between 10am and 1pm Monday to Friday. All our services are free to people who live in the Auckland region.
Of course safely withdrawing from your drug of choice is only the beginning of the recovery journey. Recovery is a process – not an event. The process begins when you or your loved one starts to want life to be better. If you are dependent on a substance and want to make some changes, withdrawing might be the logical next step – with more steps to come. In the next column I will outline a great option for that next step, our intensive outpatient unit - CADS Mt Eden.
In the mean time – any questions – give us a call.
If you have concerns about your own or someone else's alcohol or other drug use, or if you'd like more information, contact CADS on 845 1818 or www.cads.org.nz or if you live outside Auckland contact Alcohol and Drug Helpline 0800 787 797.
> More items from Di's Drug Column
