How to Help Someone Overcome Addiction in Illinois

Published on: 17 May 2022 Last Updated on: 13 May 2023

It’s never easy watching someone you care about go through something like addiction.

Many times, people in this situation watch the person they care about to deteriorate and become a different person.

If you think your loved one is addicted but you’re not sure, be on the lookout for these warning signs.

Their behavior has changed. You notice them becoming more withdrawn, angry, combative, or abusive towards you.
You notice them becoming obsessive
They’re hiding things from you. Maybe you found needles or empty vodka bottles under their bed or in their bathroom
They’ve come home bruised or beaten up but won’t tell you what happened
They aren’t sleep
They slur their words
They’re losing weight or their outward appearance has changed for the worse.

If your loved one shows any of these signs, there’s a good chance they might be addicted. If you’re watching someone you love spiral into addiction, there are ways you can help to overcome addiction. Here’s how.

6 Ways To Someone You Know Overcome Addiction In Illinois

1. Call your local rehab center

Places like Lincoln Recovery or your local hospital are a great resource for you to tap into. They’ll be able to help you determine the best treatment options for your loved one without making you or them feel ashamed. They’ll be able to give you advice and tools. They can also help you plan something called an intervention.

An intervention is when family and friends of the addict’s life come together to make their loved one understand that they need help. Interventions must be planned so they don’t cause more problems. While it’s going to be awkward and uncomfortable, an intervention that’s done right can gently push your loved one on the path to recovery.

2. Establish trust

This is a huge thing. Often trust is broken between addicts and the people they love the most, and while it may be difficult to achieve, getting them to trust you is so important. Otherwise and intervention won’t work properly.

To start building trust with an addict, you have to learn not to nag, yell, exaggerate, lecture, or engage in any substances they’re addicted to. Asking them to stop drinking when they see you drinking, even if it’s only a small glass of wine at night, can make them defensive.

Trust will also help prevent stress. If they trust you more, they’ll be less stressed and feel more comfortable opening up to you about their addiction. Most addicts know they have a problem deep down, they just don’t want to admit it out loud and make it real. Don’t do anything that will keep them from opening up to you about it.

Watch their body language to help you determine if your attempts at trust-building are working. If you notice them growing stiff or becoming agitated pull back and try again another time.

3. Never blame

Even if the person who’s addicted made you lose money, your reputation, etc. do not try to blame them for it. While they need to take responsibility for their behavior, blaming them for things while they’re addicted will get you nowhere. It will only make them more resistant to change, defensive, and closed off.

Speak in the first person, only about how you feel or what you think. Whenever you talk to them about their addiction, use “I” statements. “You” statements can come across as blameful and can do the opposite of what you hope to achieve in the conversation.

Avoid insults and negativity at all costs because that is the blameful language that will make them defensive. For more information on using “I” statements, click here.

4. Always practice empathy

You see how dangerous it is to blame the addict in any way, either for their addiction or their behavior. Leading with empathy, whether your staging an intervention or not, can help the addict feel more comfortable and open up.

Tell them that you understand they’re hurting, and while you don’t know what they’re going through firsthand, you’re there to help in any way you can. You want to be a part of the solution.

Offer assistance in any way you can. By doing this, you might find that the person has been waiting for someone to talk to them about it but has been too afraid to bring it up themselves.

5. Prepare for backlash

What you have to understand is that addiction affects the chemical balance of the brain. This can make them delusional, combative, or standoffish. They may outright refuse to admit they’re addicted to anything and if they do, they might turn the blame on you.

Addicts try to get out of responsibility, and taking responsibility for their addiction is another thing they’re going to try to dance around. Prepare for harsh words, yelling, and threats. Stay calm and listen to everything they have to say.

Don’t engage in yelling or screaming or try to push the blame back on them. It will only make the situation worse. If you feel like you’re in danger, remove yourself from the situation or call the police.

6. Stop enabling

If you’re allowing the person you love to do drugs in your house or get drunk in your house, stop. Tell them that they aren’t allowed to do that in your home anymore and if they refuse, ask them to leave. It sounds harsh, but they have to learn that there are consequences to their actions.

Stop buying them their substance of choice. Practice sobriety yourself so you don’t have alcohol or drugs lying around the house for them to consume. If they frequently borrow your car, remove car privileges so they can’t drive under the influence. Refuse to give them cash. If they say they need a few bucks for food, buy them actual food or not at all. But never give them cash or cards that they can use to purchase drugs or alcohol.

While this might seem like you’re not leading with empathy, you are. You don’t have to be mean about doing any of these things. You can simply say, “I don’t want you driving my car under the influence, it’s not safe.” Or “I can’t give you cash, but I can buy you food, water, groceries,” if that’s what you want to do. Just avoid putting the blame or accusing them of anything.

To learn the difference between helping and enabling, follow the link. https://www.verywellmind.com/how-to-stop-enabling-an-alcoholic-63083

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Emergency Chiropractic Care – It Can’t Wait

Chiropractic care isn’t often something we think of as an emergency treatment. Usually, we conceptualize going to the chiropractor as a sort of routine treatment, something you do every month or every few months to when your back and neck are feeling stiff. You go get worked on to alleviate any symptoms you might have and reduce the future severity of any pain. However, emergency chiropractic care is a critical form of treatment and is not something that should go unmentioned. Consider for a moment someone who has had an emergency. Perhaps it was a sports injury, a car crash, or some other kind of trauma that has affected their back, neck or spine. Oftentimes, you would go to an emergency room or primary care physician right away, have them look at whatever external damage there is, and ok you to return home. If your back continued to hurt for a few days or weeks after this, then you might go see a chiropractor to have it realigned. However, failing to see a chiropractor right away can bring consequences. Not only will this lengthen your recovery time, but it can also cause suffering with undeserving pain longer than perhaps necessary. Emergency Chiropractic Care – It Can't-Wait: When is it a chiropractic emergency? As one emergency chiropractic specialist discusses, there are two large categories of accidents that create chiropractic emergencies – sudden, acute pain that arises out of seemingly nothing and traumatic events such as sports injuries, work injuries and work accidents. Anytime you experience sudden, unexpected and unexplainable pain in your neck or back you should immediately think chiropractic care. This could very well be caused by a slipped or herniated disk, something that needs to be taken care of immediately. By seeing a chiropractic specialist they will be able to diagnose the problem and provide treatment. Leaving this kind of thing on its own for a few days or a few weeks can add to the pain and suffering. For instance, the severity of the condition itself can increase and you can develop other issues from the limited mobility. Of course, you are also likely to be in extreme pain, something that should justify a trip to the chiropractor on its own. Sports injuries in particular, especially when they affect the cervical spine (neck area), can result in neurological problems, such as carpal tunnel if left untreated. Of course, the classic cases of sports injuries all result from the repeated hits and tackles of football, but most sports involve repetitive, ongoing stress to the same muscles, joints and bones day after day. A lot of the patients emergency care chiropractors will see are in fact the sort of weekend athletes that come in with these injuries. They have their day jobs but enjoy getting out and competing on the weekends, only to get injured and need emergency chiropractic care. If either of these sorts of emergencies happens to you, then you should immediately think of seeing a chiropractor for treatment. Taking care of any musculoskeletal injuries is just as important as getting stitches and medicine. What will an emergency chiropractor do? A chiropractor treating someone in an emergency situation will often employ various additional techniques and many of the same methods and practices that they would if they were seeing you in their office during a regular visit. Of course, the timeline will be compressed as the chiropractor will be working to relieve your pain and address the problems as quickly as possible. The emergency chiropractor will start by identifying the issue. They will ask you questions about the accident or injury you have suffered and will seek to better understand your medical history, especially as it relates to chiropractic care. They will test your flexibility, seeing how restricted your movement might be by pain and they will feel around your spine, neck and or back. Once your issue is identified, he or she will go about making whatever adjustments are necessary to alleviate the origin of your pain. One chiropractor working in an emergency room described this process well. He spoke of a patient that came in after having attempted to lift a heavy airplane tire at his work. It caused his back to clinch up in pain, and he laid on the floor for four hours before he was willing to admit to anyone that hen needed help. The emergency room doctors gave him several different injections of powerful pain medications, but nothing could totally remove the pain in this man’s back. Finally, they called the chiropractor in to see what he could do for him. The man’s back was spasming and the chiropractor explained this to him then went ahead and implemented manual therapy techniques to help relax the affected muscles. After this, the chiropractor put the patient on his side, stretched him out and performed some spinal adjustments. This resulted in a nice reduction in pain for the patient. In fact, the chiropractor relaying the story says the patient was so improved he was able to dress and walk out of the emergency room on his own, impressing the nurses and everyone else there. It should be clear by now that chiropractic care is not just something for routine pain reduction. Adjustments to the back and neck should be seen as an absolute necessity after certain types of trauma and injury. Skipping out on chiropractic care after this should be viewed the same way as skipping out on getting stitches after a massive cut. Just as an infection can lead to much greater complications than the original injury, so too can skipping out on chiropractic care can lead to orthopedic or neurological issues later on. If you have suffered from a work injury, a sports injury, or any kind of acute, sudden pain in your neck or back, it is critical that you see a chiropractor right away. While you might not find one in an emergency room, there are a number of chiropractors that offer emergency services to those that need it. Seeking out a trained, experienced specialist to help relieve any symptoms and injuries you may have will be critical to your recovery process and long-term health. You don’t have a moment to waste! Read Also: American Healthcare And Its Woes How To Care For The Elderly: Tips For The Caregivers

The 4 Types of Hormone Replacement Therapy

During menopause, estrogen levels in your body drop. Some women experience unpleasant symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, and vaginal dryness. Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), also known as Estrogen Replacement Therapy (ERT), is the most effective way to treat these menopausal symptoms. HRT involves estrogen-containing medications that replace the hormones that are no longer produced after menopause. Studies have found that hormone therapy also helps to prevent bone loss and reduce fractures in postmenopausal women. If you want to relieve the symptoms of menopause, understanding the advantages and disadvantages of hormone replacement therapy can help you determine the right type for you. Highlighted below are the four types of HRT for menopause. Here are the 4 types of Hormone Replacement Therapy: 1. Estrogen Pills One of the most common forms of HRT is an oral medication. The pills include conjugated estrogens and are typically taken once daily without food. However, some have more complicated dosing schedules. Pros Like other forms of HRT, estrogen pills can lessen or remedy the bothersome symptoms caused by menopause. They also reduce the risk of osteoporosis (weakening of the bones). Cons Estrogen, on its own, slightly increases the risk of thrombosis and stroke. When used with the hormone progesterone, the risk of heart disease and breast cancer is heightened. Like other HRT treatments, oral estrogens have side effects. These include painful swelling of the breasts, vaginal discharge, headache, and nausea. People with liver problems should opt for other forms of estrogen as oral estrogens can be hard on the liver. In addition, estrogen may not be absorbed, especially if you are taking certain medications or if you have stomach problems. 2. Skin Patches Another type of HRT is skin patches, with examples including Alora and Estraderm. There are also combined estrogen and progesterone skin patches. Follow the instructions and replace the patch once or twice weekly. Pros First, the patch is convenient. You can stick it without worrying about taking oral medicine every day. The patch is also great for people with liver ailments as the estrogen goes passes directly into the bloodstream, avoiding the liver. Studies have proved that patches do not present a risk of thrombosis to postmenopausal women compared to oral estrogens. Cons Estrogen patches do have side effects. These include painful swelling of the breasts, vaginal discharge, headache, and nausea. The patch can also irritate the skin on which it is applied. Do not expose estrogen patches to high temperatures or direct sunlight. The heat can bring about the rapid release of estrogen from some. Therefore, do not use a tanning bed or sauna when wearing an estrogen patch. 3. Topical treatment Estrogen gels, creams, and sprays are another way of incorporating estrogen into your body. Like skin patches, this type of estrogen treatment is directly absorbed into the blood. They are normally administered once a day. Pros Since these topical estrogen treatments journey directly into the blood, they are low risk for people with liver problems. Cons A possible problem with the use of this type of estrogen treatment is that the gel, cream, or spray can be rubbed or washed off before being completely absorbed. Always let the treatment of dry before dressing and apply after bathing. Since estrogen is directly absorbed through the skin, do not let your family members come into contact with these creams or gels. Ensure you clean and dry your hands after using the medication. 4. Vaginal Suppositories These types of estrogen treatments are applied directly to the vagina. These treatments are most suitable for women who suffer particularly from vaginal dryness, itching, pain, or burning sensation during intercourse. The medication includes vaginal tablets, creams, and vaginal rings. The exact dosing schedule depends on the product. However, the vaginal ring must be replaced every three months. Pros Research has proved that vaginal suppositories are more effective in treating vaginal symptoms of menopause than other types of estrogen treatment. Some vaginal rings produce low doses, impacting the surrounding region only. This is favorable since they do not subject the whole body to high amounts of estrogen. In theory, this reduces the risks of estrogen treatment and is a safe method to reassure women unable to receive systemic treatment. Cons Vaginal suppositories containing low amounts of estrogen are only useful for menopausal symptoms brought about due to hysterectomy. They do not treat other symptoms, such as hot flashes. Although high doses of suppositories offer solutions to these symptoms, they may carry risks of cancer. Most doctors do not recommend long-term vaginal estrogen therapy in women who still have a uterus, as this may escalate the threat of endometrial cancer. In conclusion, work closely with your doctor to decide on the best option from the various available hormone replacement therapies. Also, talk to your physician about how long you can take HRT and how to limit potential risks. Read Also: HGH Therapy Clinic In California 8 Natural Ways To Balance Hormones

Do You Know How to Take Care of The Eye?

It is very important to protect the eyes from external factors such as solar radiation as well as take care of our food. The sense of sight and the state of our eyes is very important and is that half of the information we receive from the environment comes through them. It is the most valuable sense and the one whose loss would be more serious. However, more than half of the population does not aware how eyes can be taken care of. The eyes are one of the smallest organs, but more delicate, of our body. They work in coordination with the brain to interpret the size, shape, colour, and texture of the objects that surround us, as well as the distance they are at or the speed at which they move. To raise awareness among the population about the importance of taking care of the sight there are some notches to look after. 1. Take care of the food: You have to make an effort to consume foods rich in vitamin A, which is essential for sight. In addition to carrots, they contain asparagus, apricots, nectarines, and milk. If, in addition, you are diabetic, hypertensive or have cholesterol, taking care of food is especially important. 2. Keep the eyes hydrated: Especially when working in front of the computer, it is advisable to blink often. You also have to ventilate the room and, if necessary, use humidifiers. If you still suffer from dry eyes, you can resort to individual solutions of artificial tears. And, of course, drink lots of water throughout the day. 3. Monitor the lighting: When working, reading or doing any other visual effort at close range, make sure you have enough light in order to prevent eye fatigue. It is also advisable to take brief breaks so that the view rests. 4. Watch television at a distance: For example, a 32-inch device should be about two meters away, and one of 46, about two and a half meters away. It is also not advisable to see too many hours a day or allow your children to do so. 5. Protect yourself from the computer: In order to avoid visual fatigue, you must have the computer at a distance of at least fifty centimeters from the eyes and forming a ninety-degree angle. Also, it is important to use a filter or screen protector and adjust the brightness of the monitor to lower its intensity. 6. Wear glasses when driving: If so instructed by the ophthalmologist, always wear the glasses when driving. In addition to avoiding eyestrain, you will increase your safety and that of others, especially at night. Make sure you also bring spare glasses in the glove compartment. It is best to visit an eye specialist near you to have a power test after 40 years though you might think that your eyes are ok. 7. Bring sunglasses: Solar radiation can be very harmful to the eyes, so we must protect them with approved sunglasses that have a filter for ultraviolet rays. It will also protect you from other aggressive environmental agents for the eyes such as wind or smoke. Wear your sunglasses also when you practice outdoor sports or go on a motorcycle. 8. Take care of the hygiene of the lenses: Store the contact lenses in a clean, bacteria-free case and follow the daily cleaning instructions to the letter. Nor should you allow the remains of makeup to dirty the lenses or the case in which you keep them. 9. Learn to relax the view: Massages performed with slight pressure around the eyes or on them are very useful to reduce the tension that accumulates in the eyes and the muscles that surround them. Also, the practice of exercises of change of focus or of muscular relaxation allows alleviating the visual fatigue. 10. See the ophthalmologist regularly: Many eye problems do not present symptoms, so you should go to the eye care specialist at least once a year to perform an examination of your eyes and the state of your vision. If you are already correcting refraction problems with glasses or contact lenses, it is very important that you regularly check your graduation. In modern-day technology become so advanced that everything is in your grasp. Almost anything can be searched on Google or any other search engine today. Like in this topic if you are new to a place or don't know which ophthalmologist is good near you to have to just type "eye clinic near me" or "eye specialist near me" and click on the search button or press the enter button. Within less than a second you get all the eye specialist details in your area. Read Also: Tips To Get Beautiful Eyes At Your Home Never Compromise The Style Factor While Choosing Contact Lens

How to Help Someone Overcome Addiction in Illinois