Jordan Houston, Author at Chestuee Worship Center

People who have a substance use disorder often find that overcoming it is more challenging than they expected. They may feel that addiction is a myth and they can quit any time they want or that they are an exception to the rule. This can also occur with behavioral addictions involving activities such as eating, sex, gambling, shopping, and exercise.

Learning how to overcome an addiction is important for anyone experiencing a substance use disorder (SUD), alcohol use disorder (AUD), or behavioral addiction. While challenging, recognizing that there is a problem and learning more about the process of quitting are important first steps in recovery, look online for resources by searching drug rehab near me.

This article discusses what you will need to do to overcome an addiction and offers tips that can help. It also covers the symptoms of withdrawal that you might experience and some of the effective treatment options that are available.

If you or a loved one are struggling with substance use or addiction, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357 for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.

For more mental health resources, see our National Helpline Database.

Addiction – Scott Elam from ATS The Bridge – May 19, 2019

The term addictionTrusted Source does not only refer to dependence on substances such as heroin or cocaine. Some addictions also involve an inability to stop partaking in activities such as gambling, eating, or working.

Addiction is a chronic condition that can also result from taking medications. In fact, the misuse of opioids — particularly illicitly made fentanyl — caused nearly 50,000 deathsTrusted Source in the United States in 2019 alone.

The American Society of Addiction Medicine defines addiction as “a treatable, chronic medical disease involving complex interactions among brain circuits, genetics, the environment, and an individual’s life experiences. People with addiction use substances or engage in behaviors that become compulsive and often continue despite harmful consequences.”

Many people, but not all, start using a drug or first engage in an activity voluntarily. However, addiction can take over and reduce self-control to search for substance abuse help.

There is substance addiction and non-substance addiction. Some examples of non-substance addiction include:

gambling
food
internet
gaming
cell phone
sex
Someone with addiction will continue to misuse the substance or activity in spite of the harmful effects it has.

Overcoming Addiction Part 2 – Samuel Burger – May 12, 2019

Because change is so difficult, it’s useful to have a guide when attempting to kick an addiction to drugs, alcohol or behavior. Research shows that the following steps can help you move toward your recovery goals and services like Delamere addiction treatment can help with this as well. Learning the process step by step can be read on this website: https://privatealcoholrehab.co.uk/alcoholism-a-disease/. You have the greatest chance of success if you adopt all five steps.

Set a quit date. It might be helpful to choose a meaningful date like a special event, birthday, or anniversary.
Change your environment. Remove any reminders of your addiction from your home and workplace. For example, separate from those who would encourage you to be involved with the object of your addiction (drug, alcohol, or behavior). If you are trying to quit drinking, get rid of any alcohol, bottle openers, wine glasses, and corkscrews. If you’re trying to quit gambling, remove any playing cards, scratch tickets, or poker chips to get the help for gamblers. Also, don’t let other people use or bring reminders of the addiction-related substance or behavior into your home.
Distract yourself. Instead of giving in to an urge to use, come up with alternative activities, such as going for a walk or calling a friend or family member to talk, so that you keep busy until the urge passes. Be prepared to deal with things that trigger your cravings, such as being in an environment where others are using.
Review your past attempts at quitting. Think about what worked and what did not. Consider what might have contributed to relapse and make changes accordingly.
Create a support network. Talk to your family and friends and ask for their encouragement and sup-port. Let them know you are quitting. If they use your object of addiction, ask them not to do so in front of you. If you buy drugs, you should consider telling your dealer that you are quitting; ask your dealer not to call you and not to sell you drugs anymore. Also, you might want to consider talking to your health care provider about the method of quitting that is best for you. There may be medications that can ease the process for you and increase your chances of success.
For more information on finding an effective path to recovery, check out Overcoming Addiction, a Special Health Report from Harvard Medical School.

A Healthy Church – Bishop John Omanya – March 3, 2019

Using the Sword of the Spirit – Samuel Burger – February 24, 2019

Change Your Mind, Change Your Life – Samuel Burger – February 17, 2019

The Significance of the Shofar – Samuel Burger – February 3, 2019

Before You Marry – Samuel Burger – 2/6/19

Have a Plan For Your Money!

What is the number one cause for divorce in America? Finances.

Many times a couple has very different ideas about saving and spending. If you develop a plan now before you are married, you will save yourselves a lot of useless fighting. The following is an overview of the 1st session of what I use in helping couples who plan to marry.

“Our money”

You must understand that there’s no such thing as mine and yours. Work together as a team in deciding what to do with your money. Your debts and your partner’s debts become “our debts.” Savings also. If you aren’t ready to share your income, your not ready for marriage.

Saving, Sharing, Spending

Agree on a percentage of income that you will save, give away and spend. Have you heard of the 10-10-80 plan? 10% goes to God, 10% goes to savings. 80% goes to other expenses and recreation. But you both must come to an agreement of how you handle your money. Not his or hers but our money. A few problem areas:

-The most common mistake young people make is buying a house that’s beyond their income. Be wise in this area. Try to spend no more than 40% of your income on housing and utilities.

Watch out for credit buying. “Buy now, pay later.” What’s not stated is that if you buy now without cash, you will pay much more later. Interest rates are mainly in the 18–21% bracket. Credit is very dangerous. I always recommend never having a credit card, but if you do, use it only for emergencies and necessities (car repair, major appliance), like those Business Loans Singapore, and pay it off as quickly as possible. I also recommend consulting a pat testing sheffield specialist to evaluate numerous of your appliances, including electrical items, to see if they are safe to use. Also, the reason most people use credit cards and credit buying is because they want what they cannot pay for now. They can’t delay instant gratification. Don’t compare what you have with what other people have. They are in debt to their eyeballs. Some aren’t but most are. You don’t need things to be happy.

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-Major Purchases. Come to an agreement that neither of you will make a major purchase without consulting the other. Your agreement must have a dollar value. How much can one spend without telling the other?

Who will keep the books?

Decide on this. The one who “keeps the books” is the one who pays the monthly bills and keeps tabs on the online accounts. This person keeps track with the spending plan you agreed upon. Your both in charge of making financial decisions but one is the bookkeeper. Now it may change after awhile and you may switch roles. Always remember that you are a team and you make financial decisions together. Note: These previous steps are adapted from the book, “Things I wish I’d known before we got married.” The author is Gary Chapman.

Practical Discussion:

Discuss your current financial plan.
Do you tithe 10% of your income?
Do you place at least 10% of your income into some savings and investment plan?
Declare your total assets and liabilities to each other.
Work out a financial plan together now before you get married.
Discuss your dollar value on purchases that doesn’t require you telling the other.
Who will keep the books? Why?

Practical Suggestive Plan (Dave Ramsey’s Baby Steps) www.daveramsey.com.

Put 1,000.00 in a beginner emergency fund. (This is protection against life’s unexpected events.)
Pay off all debt using the debt snowball. (No matter what “they” say, debt will keep you from accomplishing your financial goals. The borrower is always a slave to the lender.
Put three to six months of expenses into savings as a full emergency fund.
Invest 15% of your household income into Roth IRAS and pretax retirement plans. (You may not think this is important now but this is one of the greatest financial tools of investement. Many have ended up being a millionaire simply because they started an IRA when they were young. (If you Saved 100.00 a month, every month, at the average return of 12 percent, from age 25 to 65, you’d retire with more than 1.1 million! Also, precious metal IRAs are designed to help you with gold investments, palladium, silver, and other valuable metals for retirement. The key is to start early so you can take advantage of compound interest. The key is to start early so you can take advantage of compound interest.
Begin college funding for your kids. (This is optional but if you want your kids to get a good education without student loan debt, this will be a great gift to them. Look up an ESA account, 529 plan.)
Pay off your home early. (If you haven’t bought a home, try to get a 15 year fixed rate mortgage instead of a 30 year. Try to put at least 10% down. Your payment should be no more than 25% of your take home pay. Or just save to buy it outright completely.
Build wealth and give.

If you’re interested in this topic, you may also learn about Freezing Orders Explained.

Remember that you must have a plan that you agree on together for your money.

Ultimately, God wants your marriage to be a blessing to others but you must be a good steward of what He has given you. I’ll leave you with a verse, “(b) the borrower is slave to the lender.” Proverbs 22:7.
Pastor Samuel