A Case of Kidnap (or Addiction)

March 16, 2016
by BaliHealthCare
5 min read

Growing up I vividly remember a serious kidnapping that occurred in my home state, whereby a fourteen yr. old girl was stolen from her bedroom in the dead of night and held captive for over nine months before being rescued. The details surrounding her disappearance were very unclear at the time and some questions remain unanswered to this day. Did she run away with this man, did she resist capture, how was the man able to sneak her away into the night with her whole family present?

In fact, the youngest sister had witnessed a man come in and take her but she hid in fear for hours before telling their parents, who in turn simply sent the little girl back to bed believing she had had a bad dream. It was later that night when they realized their own nightmare had come to life and in the morning her disappearance was announced on the news and a state-wide search began.

I took part in those first weeks of searching. My friends and I would get together and hike though the vast expanses of wilderness that surrounds the area. We had never met this young girl but we wanted to help somehow and being young and able we could cover a lot of ground in a day. We tired ourselves to the bone as we roamed the steep mountains and valleys, wading through large groves of dense trees, straining our eyes as we scanned the landscape for any clue, anything that might lead us to her, anything that might help her be found.

Whatever imaginations I had of saving her at that time totally evaporated after the first week. We had searched miles and miles of terrain and there were hundreds of miles left, we had gone far but couldn’t go far enough. The horizon continued to stretch far away at the end of each day, each day she was suffering greatly, and each day her salvation felt further out of reach.

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Liposuction

How to Self-Care After Liposuction

June 25, 2015
by BaliHealthCare
3 min read

Liposuction surgery is a procedure that needs care afterwards, but the amount of care needed is dependent upon how far-reaching the procedure was. If only a tiny fat bump was treated you’ll find that there is not much pain or swelling and the area will heal quickly. If you’ve had a large area treated the care needed will be far more comprehensive.

If the doctor is going to remove a great deal of fat, a lot of fluid and blood may be lost at the same time. To treat this, the doctor may request that you donate blood so that he or she can use it to replace what was lost. You may also need to be on a drip to restore fluids.  This will all be done before you are allowed to leave the clinic.

Expect to experience things such as numbness, bruising and swelling right after the operation. It is important to get up and walk around as soon as the doctor okays this, as it will prevent other possible problems such as blood clots that can happen after any kind of surgery.  The doctor may have inserted a small drainage tube to prevent the build-up of fluid in the area. He or she will advise you on where and when to remove it. You may have to return to the clinic to have it done.

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5 Addiction Recovery Approaches that Just Don’t Work

March 19, 2015
by BaliHealthCare
3 min read

It is clear that there are many different paths to addiction recovery but some approaches are less likely to work than others. The motivation to escape substance abuse is a precious commodity, and it would be a real shame if you wasted this determination on a path not capable of taking you to where you want to go. Here are approaches to addiction recovery we suggest you avoid.

Going it Alone

It is true that some people manage to break free of a substance abuse problem without much help from a drug rehab, but this approach does not work for everyone. If you have already tried to stop on your own, and it hasn’t worked, the chances are it won’t work in the future either – usually, if you keep on doing the same things, you will keep getting the same results.

The White Knuckle Approach

The white knuckle approach is where you stay away from alcohol or drugs using willpower alone. This can be similar to going on a crash diet – you may feel highly motivated in the beginning, but using willpower requires energy, and the likelihood is that eventually you will run out of steam. Staying sober using the white knuckle approach usually means treating recovery like you are serving a prison sentence – it’s just not much fun.

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Should I Put Pressure on a Loved One to Get Addiction Treatment?

February 20, 2015
by BaliHealthCare
3 min read

It is incredibly difficult to stand by and watch somebody you love destroy his/her life with alcohol or drugs. It is easy to succumb to hopelessness in this situation – especially if this person has made multiple attempts to quit but failed. One of the most common questions people have in this situation is whether or not they should put pressure on their loved one to get addiction treatment. This is a tricky question to answer because it depends on the situation.

Is Putting Pressure on Somebody to Go to Rehab a Waste of Time?

You have probably heard the claim that a person needs to be ‘ready’ for addiction treatment in order for it to work. This idea makes a lot of sense, but it is not necessarily true in all cases. There are plenty of examples of people who felt pressurised into going to drug rehab, yet they still ended up achieving permanent sobriety. Of course, there are also people who felt pushed into going to rehab who remained resistant and didn’t benefit much from the experience.

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5 Signs You Need to Go to Drug Rehab

January 19, 2015
by BaliHealthCare
3 min read

Even after we have accepted that alcohol or drugs is damaging our lives, we can still be uncertain about how we should deal with the situation. Going to drug rehab might not be something we want to do unless we are sure it is necessary. Here are 5 of the signs that suggest you might be ready for this type of help:

1. You Are Struggling to Quit On Your Own

If you have already tried to quit on your own and failed, it would make sense that you try a different approach this time. A rehab can give you all the support and resources you need to turn recovery into a reality. If you were diagnosed with diabetes, wouldn’t you want the best treatments available? Why should addiction problems be any different?

2. You Suffer Withdrawal Symptoms When You Stop Drinking/Using

Withdrawals are a sign of physical addiction, and they being once you attempt to stop the substance or significantly reduce your intake. These symptoms can not only be potentially dangerous, but they can also be a huge drain on your motivation – you are most likely to relapse during this stage. By going to a rehab, you can be kept safe during the withdrawal period and also supported and encouraged. Read more: Women & Alcohol

3. You Can’t Imagine How You Will Cope Without Alcohol or Drugs

The hardest thing about escaping drug addiction isn’t stopping but staying stopped. You may not have much recent experience of dealing with life sober, so you may be worried about how you are going to cope. The goal of rehab is to provide you with all the tools you need to build a great life in recovery.

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How Urge Surfing Can Help you Manage Addiction Cravings

December 29, 2014
by BaliHealthCare
3 min read

One of the things you are likely going to have to deal with in early recovery is addiction cravings. These urges to drink or use drugs again can seem to appear out of nowhere (although they will always be triggered by something), and they can happen at the most inconvenient time. A traditional approach to dealing with drug or alcohol cravings is distraction, but this can reinforce the idea that urges are something you need to be afraid of. A more effective approach might be to use the mindfulness tool of urge surfing.

What is Urge Surfing?

“…an urge is like an ocean wave that grows bigger and bigger as it approaches the shore. As it grows, there’s the desire to just give in, but if you do, you’ll reinforce the power of the addiction. Instead, you can ride the “wave” by using the breath as a kind of surfboard.” – Alan Marlatt

Urge surfing is a technique devised by Alan Marlatt who was a professor of psychology at the University of Washington. It is a way of applying mindfulness as a way for dealing with cravings rather than turning to distraction. These urges rarely last more than 20 minutes, so if the person can just sit with this thought, it will eventually disappear.

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5 Mistakes to Avoid When Planning Your Rehab Aftercare

December 12, 2014
by BaliHealthCare
3 min read

Even if you highly motivated during your stay in rehab, you can still end up failing in your attempt at sobriety if you have insufficient aftercare. The transition from the protected environment of this type of facility to the real world can be bumpy unless you are prepared for it. Here are 5 mistakes to avoid with aftercare planning so your move home goes smoothly.

1. Planning Your Aftercare at the Last Minute

There is not much point in just learning to be sober in drug rehab because you will soon be back in the real world. This is why everything you do needs to be preparing you for when you go home. Aftercare planning needs to begin from day one because if you leave it too late, you won’t be ready for the transition.

2. Creating an Aftercare Plan that is Unbalanced

A good aftercare plan is going to cover the different aspects of your life including physical health, mental wellness, and spiritual needs. If you focus too much on one area, it may mean your sobriety is unbalanced and therefore not as strong as it could be.

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How to Stay Sober Over the Christmas Period

December 1, 2014
by BaliHealthCare
3 min read

If this is your first Christmas sober, you may be approaching the holiday season with a touch of trepidation. This is a time of year when getting drunk becomes far more acceptable, and even social drinkers will tend to go a bit overboard. How will deal with this increased pressure to drink? Will you spend the holiday feeling like you are missing out? How can you enjoy Christmas without alcohol to put you in the right mood?

Here are a few tips to help you stay sober over the Christmas period:

Even if you are not a big fan of the recovery meetings, it is worth making an effort to go at this time of year. It means you will be around lots of other people who are having a sober Christmas, and you will gain strength from their support and experience. Groups like Alcoholics Anonymous also usually have parties at this time of year, so you can get to let your hair down in a safe environment.

If you are still in early recovery, it is best to avoid high-risk situations as much as possible, but this can be hard to do over the holiday season. There may be some type of work function that you are obliged to attend. In this type of situation, it is best to make a brief appearance and leave before people get too intoxicated. It can also be helpful to bring along a sober friend for support – just make sure this person has solid sobriety or you could be both putting your recovery at risk.

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Addiction Rehab with Borderline Personality Disorder

November 23, 2014
by BaliHealthCare
2 min read

If you have been diagnosed with a borderline personality, there is a high likelihood that you also engage in substance abuse. This self-medication will be an attempt to ease your inner-discomfort and sense of isolation. The problem is that falling into addiction is like jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire. It is vital that you overcome your substance abuse problem, so you can manage your borderline personality symptoms.

What is Borderline Personality Disorder?

Borderline personality disorder is a relatively new diagnosis (although there is growing support for renaming it ‘emotion regulation disorder’). It is not that this condition has suddenly appeared out of nowhere but that people with these symptoms used to end up with diagnoses such as emotionally unstable, pseudo-schizophrenic, or pseudo-neurotic. The word ‘borderline’ refers to the fact that the symptoms share similarities to other mental health conditions.

People who have been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder have problems regulating their emotions and dealing with interpersonal relationships. Common symptoms would include:

  • A history of acting impulsively and making bad decisions
  • Difficulty sustaining long-term relationships ( a pattern of best friends becoming ex-friends)
  • Highly insecure in romantic relationships
  • A history of self-harm
  • A history of substance abuse
  • Poor emotion control
  • Negative self-image
  • Fear of abandonment

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5 Compelling Reasons to Choose Rehab in the New Year

November 13, 2014
by BaliHealthCare
3 min read

The New Year is all about saying goodbye to the old and welcoming in the new. This is a time of year when people traditionally feel more enthusiastic about change, and this is expressed in the form of resolutions. Going to rehab can be the most life-changing decision you ever make, and here are 5 compelling reasons for why you should consider it in the New Year:

1. You Have Already Lost Enough Time to Addiction

Some days are better than others when you are caught up in drug addiction, but it is not going to be possible to create sustainable positive change in your life so long as you are controlled by intoxicants. Every day you continue to devote to this behaviour is a day lost, and life is too short to be wasting time like this.

2. It Can Mean Your Last Ruined Christmas

Maybe you tried hard to control your drinking or drug use over the holiday season, but the likelihood is you ended up doing things you regretted due to intoxicated. Maybe you didn’t directly upset a love one, but the fact that you were preoccupied with your drug will have been sensed. By getting sober now, you won’t have to worry about ruining another Christmas.

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