Category Archives: Uncategorized

Arc Fitness, Uncategorized

Addressing the Bigger picture. Recovery vs Detox.

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Addressing the Bigger picture.

Recovery vs Detox

I have learnt many things on the road to recovery and one of the most important is this:

“Sobriety is very different to Recovery”

Sobriety is like the starting blocks in an 100m race. Once it is secure, it gives the runner the best possible start. If this wasn’t the case, the runner would slip and fall flat on their face. It’s the same in recovery.

While achieving freedom from drug/ alcohol use starts with cleansing the body through a period of detox, it’s important to realise that detoxification is not treatment or a cure. Anyone can get clean in the right environment if you remove the ‘means’ – staying there is the difficult part.

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Arc Fitness, Uncategorized

“Quitting Addiction Cold Turkey”, anyone?

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“Cold Turkey”, anyone?
 
So, this post is very important!
Traditionally people thought an abrupt stop to someone’s drinking or using was what was needed to ‘sort them right out’.
Now, I played the ‘cold turkey’ roulette on many occasions throughout the years in my brave attempt to quit using substances. The last time was extremely memorable as I literally felt like I was literally going die (this is NOT an exaggeration).
Because I was using alcohol or drugs in such an unrestrained manner, it seemed much simpler to just stop using that substance as opposed to trusting myself to reduce it safely over time. But it not just me, scientific study’s indicates that trying to quit cold turkey may be doing more harm than good.

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Arc Fitness, Uncategorized

Enabling – When help becomes unhelpful.

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Enabling – When help becomes unhelpful.

Enable:
“To give (someone) the authority or means to do something; to make it possible for”.
Addiction not only affects the individual, it also causes ripple effects through the wider family unit. At times families are left trying to navigate the addiction merry-go-round trying their utmost to protect the person and eventually through frustration and exacerbation, protect themselves.
Fundamentally, most families want to help when a loved one is suffering from a drug or alcohol problem, however, sometimes that “help” becomes enabling.
Enabling comes in all different forms.

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Arc Fitness, Uncategorized

The Road to Recovery – Gaz’s Story

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The Road to Recovery – Gaz’s Story

It’s funny, I got unexpectedly nervous about writing this despite having done it countless times. Most people who know me now have met me at a time of my life where the following story can be hard to marry up. That’s a good thing, it’s shows that people CAN change; they CAN succeed and they CAN beat something that feels unbeatable to them.

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Abuse Vs Addiction

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Abuse Vs Addiction

The words “Abuse” and “addiction” are often used interchangeably, however it is important to note that – there is a difference.
By now we should understand that drug addiction and alcoholism are conditions that affect the brain, but did you know that abusing drugs and alcohol is not the same thing as being addicted? 
You see, While abuse CAN lead to addiction, you should know where they differ.

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Uncategorized

Post-Natal Depression & Addiction

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Post-natal depression & Addiction 

Now, you might have guessed by now that I’m not a woman! So before I delve into this blogpost let me highlight that; I am not an expert on childbirth; I haven’t given birth; had a C-Section; nor a vacuum or forcep delivery. 

 

I am however a dad, and my desire to write about this stemmed from my own adjustment to fatherhood.

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“What’s he talking about?”- Addiction Terminology

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“What’s he talking about?”- Addiction Terminology

So, Addiction is complicated! 

Anyone disagree? 

So is the terminology around it. 

 

Sometimes when I’m posting I assume people always understand what I’m talking about. With the amount of buzzwords and terms thrown around in discussions and in the media about addiction, I though I would break them down

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International Overdose Awareness Day – Naloxone & Opiate Overdose

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International Overdose Awareness Day – August 31st.

Naloxone & Opiate Overdose

 

There has been a sharp increase in the amount of deaths attributed to drug misuse since 2012. In 2016 there were 2593 deaths in England and Wales alone. Deaths due to opiate abuse account for a third (32{6a401f752cb3568a2d5800cabbf60b88de184f5d248c967e29e47dfca872a621}) of all deaths related to drug poisoning (NHS 2018). 

This is not a problem associated only with big cities, or the great “American opiate epidemic”, opiate use is indiscriminate and has filtered down to all aspects of our society. It’s closer to home than you think. 

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The Road to Recovery – Lee’s Story

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The Road to Recovery – Lee’s Story
My life before I started drinking was pretty damn normal, and very good more to the point. I had the close loving family, good friends, and I couldn’t have asked for a better childhood. One thing I have noticed, only since being in recovery, is that I wasnt very confident in myself. I was always very shy and quiet with new people, even more so with the opposite sex.

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