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Hi guys this is an article I wrote for the last edition of our local service user magazine which I’d like to share with you all. Some pieces are specific to our area here in Redcar but regardless of where you live you can always access alternative therapies to assist in your Recovery. So here goes.
Over the years people working within the substance misuse services have come to realise that not everyone is suited to being medicated by their GP or being shoved on a methadone script when they are trying to deal with the stresses and strains of their own personal recovery from addiction.
It is now widely accepted that some people prefer to use alternative therapies as part of the recovery process. Some of which are used and endorsed by some treatment agencies already, such as acupuncture and black box therapy.
There is such a wide range of alternative and natural treatments available nowadays. And although they may not be endorsed as being treatments for substance misuse, some can actually help relieve withdrawal symptoms such as stress, fatigue, aches and pains and help promote sleep and relaxation. Which can be of enormous benefit to some people.
Some alternative therapies include things like aromatherapy, massage, reflexology, Indian head massage, hot stone therapy, herbalism, meditation and tai chi. All of which can be used as an alternative therapy to assist in a person’s recovery.
The local Lifeline Project offers various alternative treatments such as auricular acupuncture, which consists of a short session of having needles inserted into various acupuncture points in the outer ear.
There are as many as 200 acupuncture points in the outer ear with each point generally being named after areas of our anatomy e.g. knees, hips, shoulders etc. and each acupoint when treated triggers tiny electrical impulses from the ear via the brain to the specific area being treated. The acupuncture at Lifeline is specifically designed to help with the symptoms experienced by people coming off drugs.
Black box (electro-stimulation therapy) uses the same principles as acupuncture, but uses electrodes instead of needles that pass small and painless electrical impulses through the body causing clients to feel a slight pleasant sensation which resembles a tingling pulsing feeling.
Studies indicate that black box treatment can actually reduce the severity of withdrawal symptoms by over 50% in some cases. Both black box and acupuncture are renowned to be both effective and popular treatments amongst service users.
The general benefits of these treatments include reduced cravings, relaxation and improved sleep patterns and reduction of withdrawal symptoms. They also offer other alternative therapies such as aromatherapy oils (lavender in particular is renowned for its calming and relaxation properties, its ability to promote sleep and reduce cravings), relaxation bath salts, herbal detox and relaxation sleep teas, sunflower and pumpkin seeds and omega 3 capsules.
Tai chi is an ancient Chinese system of slow meditative physical exercise designed for relaxation and balance and health (and is also taught as a form of self defence). Meditation classes can also help promote a person’s health and well-being during their recovery and can be extremely beneficial to the individual overall.
Both tai chi and meditation classes can be accessed locally by contacting Cri, The Lifeline project or the Redcar and Cleveland Recovery Group.
Other alternatives such as aromatherapy massage, hot stone therapy, reflexology and Indian head massage can also be accessed locally through individual practitioners and Redcar and Cleveland College. Although not suited to everyone some service users do actually benefit and feel much better in themselves through the use of alternative therapies.
Basically anything that you choose to do that makes you feel better and more relaxed in yourself, and helps make your own personal recovery more tolerable (which could even be something as simple as taking the dog for a walk) can be used as your own personal alternative therapy.
Medication and methadone is not the only answer to your problems!!
For years I’d promised myself that I would eventually get off drugs and try and get work within the substance misuse services, so I could eventually help provide advice and support to others like me who were struggling with addiction difficulties. But I had my own demons to address first.
At one point I thought I was never going to manage it because, as we all know, the road to recovery is a hard one and it seemed like I was on that road for ever. With no end in sight. But I got there in the end.
We all know there’s no such thing as a miracle cure and no one can wave a magic wand and make everything alright. But just being part of a team that’s trying to make a difference in people’s lives gives me such a buzz and makes me realise even more that I am now definitely on the right path.
Sometimes its only the little things you do that can make such a difference. It could be something as simple as making a phone call, sending out a letter or simply just being there and listening to what someone has to say. It’s all the little things you do for someone that soon add up and that’s what makes my job so rewarding and worthwhile.
After all those years of battling with my own addictions I’ve finally realised that there really is life after drugs and one of the things that has helped me to realise that was by becoming a peer mentor.
So the next time you come across a peer mentor remember that the chances are that they’re an ex service user and they are there to make a valuable contribution to the service and to try and help other service users address any addiction issues they might have. We’re no experts and we certainly don’t know everything, but we do know what it’s like living with addiction because we’ve been there ourselves.
If your serious about moving on in life and fancy having a go at doing what we do then why not give the Peer Mentor Diploma a try ?
It may well help you along the road to recovery and put you on the path towards a very worthwhile and rewarding career.
Haven’t blogged for a while as I’ve been so busy with all my voluntary work with Lifeline and peer mentoring with Cri. Trying to juggle all that about with my recovery group commitments (and family life as well) has kind of took its toll these past few weeks.
I’ve also been busy writing articles for our local service user magazine “The Script” as our Autumn edition is due out in a few weeks. So it’s all hands on deck to get everything submitted ready for publishing. Today I took up the role of recovery group secretary. Just to add a little bit more to the workload!.
When I get chance I’ll get back on and let everyone know what I’ve been up to and how things are going in a bit more detail. Just thought I’d quickly pop on and let everyone know I’m still alive.
Well following on from my last blog about having a busy week, I must say that yesterday will probably be a day that will stick in my head for a while.
Myself and another member of our Recovery group did a round trip of a total of 50 miles distributing posters, leaflets and business cards around Redcar and a few of the other towns around the Cleveland area.
We literally hit everywhere we could think of. Local drug and alcohol services, doctors surgeries, pharmacies, libraries, council offices, the local police headquarters and the local hospital. Like I’ve already said before, even if it only gets the extra one or two service users through the door then all the hard work will have paid off.
The reason yesterday will stick in my mind for quite sometime is because I was pleasantly surprised by how well we were received by all the different places we visited. And all were keen to take posters or leaflets off our hands to help promote our group and they were extremely keen to listen to what we had to say about what the group is all about. Which really did surprise me.
Usually in today’s society as soon as you mention the words ‘drug and alchohol’ dependency some people have a tendency to treat you like a social outcast and don’t want to know or look down their noses at you. But not this time. This time was different, very different and the feeling I got from all these people I spoke to is one that I won’t forget in a hurry.
In fact to say I was pleasantly surprised is probably an understatement.
Looking forward to this week as not only am I busy with my peer mentoring and my volunteer work, but myself and a fellow Recovery group member are about to hit the streets and promote our Recovery Group.
Just recently our main website went online and a couple of guys from the group got some great looking posters, leaflets and business cards done by one of the local printers to help promote what the groups all about and the kind of things our members can expect from us.
So we’re going to visit all the local services, methadone prescribing pharmacies/needle exchanges and doctors surgeries in the area this week and drop some leaflets and posters in. Not sure if I’m allowed to post a link on here to our website but here goes anyway
It’s nothing flash but it gets the point across about what we’re about and the kind of things we do and once the leaflets and stuff go into circulation hopefully we’ll get a few more people showing an interest. Even if it only gets the odd one or two through the door then all the hard work will have been worthwhile.
This is an exciting time for our group and its members and the more help we can get in promoting it the better
