"How to stay clean, for an artist" Video#1

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"How to stay clean for an artist" Video#1a

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FREE HELP for Addiction Recovery Abstract

*Brandon Dellario LMSW LASAC, recovering addict and alcoholic.  Masters level specialist in addiction treatment, dual-diagnosis and other chronic mental health conditions.  This page is presented by FREE HELP for Addiction Recovery Services (click here to learn more), online and telephone services.  For information on services, please write to brandondellario@gmail.com

     Addiction is a disease.  The disease model of addiction is actually the medical model, also the most widely used model in treatment.  Addiction is a funny kind of disease.  Not funny as in W.C. Fields, but funny as in slippery.  It is known to be sly.  Addiction is not as easily seen as diabetes, but similar because it is progressive.  Without treatment it is fatal, and not so fun on the way down.

     Along with the sometimes physical, and always present strong psychological dependence of the disease, the denial aspect of addiction makes recovery tricky for an addict.  It also makes the disease very difficult to treat, though there are therapeutic modalities known to be effective in treatment.  Twelve-step mutual help programs, CBT & Smart Recovery and Motivational Interviewing in relation to the Stages of Change being among the top evidence-based treatments in the field.  It is truly amazing to see the fitting therapy take hold of a resistant patient in treatment.  However, addicts find their own special path of recovery in a variety of ways. 

     A program of recovery is needed to treat addiction, but it can only be selected and walked-out by the addict themselves.  No one can do it for someone else.  Once the addict surrenders to an effective program of daily living, there are no limits to the amount of freedom they can gain from any self-destructive behavior.  Recovery is possible for anyone.  If you can get this, buckle in and get ready for the ride of your life!  After some sacrifice in working a program of recovery, you will be in the position to do whatever you want, and be effective at doing it too.  You will be the one writing the movie script of your own life.  

Brandon Dellario LMSW LASAC

UR Addiction Recovery: Maintaining Balance

Maintaining Balance in Recovery

A Formal Expression Series (please leave comments regarding what helps you and others in recovery):
Brandon Bruce Dellario LMSW LASAC
When I see a baggy or anything that looks like drugs on the ground, I’ve been taught to immediately approach it, step on it and grind it into the ground.  Most drugs will be destroyed this way.

UR Addiction Recovery: Self-care in Social Interaction

Self-care in Social Interaction

A Formal Expression Series (please leave comments regarding what helps you and others in recovery):
Brandon Bruce Dellario LMSW LASAC

My Mother says that everyone is doing the best they can at all times.  Although that might not seem to be true at times, I believe it to be.  
When I feel as though someone is doing something which is unhealthy, it doesn’t feel good to see.  This is a way to find what is right and wrong for myself.  I look at the examples of others.  If it looks like a behavior I want to exemplify, I can do likewise.  If it looks like something to steer clear of, I do.  It’s as simple as that.  I have a rational mind and conscience to guide me on my path, along with consultation from healthy friends.

UR Addiction Recovery: Slippery Places

Get a Grip in Slippery Places

A Formal Expression Series (please leave comments regarding what helps you and others in recovery):
Brandon Bruce Dellario LMSW LASAC

This series of articles titled “UR Addiction Recovery” are my own personal experiences of life in recovery.  The following stories exemplify behaviors which help me to stay clean,

UR Addiction Recovery: Medications and Pain Management

Medications and Pain Management for the Recovering Addict  
A Formal Expression Series (please leave comments regarding what helps you and others in recovery):

Brandon Bruce Dellario LMSW LASAC

Every addict in recovery has their own particular path.  
When it comes to addiction recovery, in relation to specific drugs that can or should be used for medications, opinions vary.  Be it prescription or over the counter,

What are the mental health issues related to cocaine addiction and withdraw?

Cocaine-induced Disorders with Onset During Withdraw:
Mental Health Informed Addiction Information 
Brandon Bruce Dellario LMSW LASAC

     This is a report on cocaine-induced disorders with onset during withdraw.  Cocaine is known to elicit a very strong psychological dependency.  There are many symptoms of post-acute withdraw from cocaine.

If someone is having mental health issues related to cocaine withdraw, what effective treatments are available?

Treatment for Cocaine-induced Disorders with Onset During Withdraw:  Mental Health Informed Addiction Treatment
Brandon Bruce Dellario LMSW LASAC

“Most people with dual diagnoses report the onset of substance-use disorder later than the onset of other mental disorders.  Prospective studies confirm this temporal order, but with some mental disorders (e.g. anxiety and depression) the risk relationship is recipricol, with these mental disorders predicting increased risk of later substance abuse, and vice versa.

When addiction counselors, therapists and other human services professionals develop a drug problem, what can we do to help?

Mental Health Professionals and Substance Abuse:

“Is there a relation between social work and drug abuse among professionals?”

Brandon Bruce Dellario LMSW LASAC

      Taking the ecological model into account, we are presented with a situation where mental health professionals live daily with factors which contribute to substance abuse vulnerability.

When a parent struggles with drug addiction.

Parental Substance Abuse: Family Assessment & Treatment

Brandon Bruce Dellario LMSW LASAC

The issue of substance abuse disorders within a family, and its effect on family systems, is a testament to the usefulness of ecological theory in social work practice.  “An ecological model of causation, which seeks to understand the transactions between the person and the environment, offers a more robust model for describing the addictive process and its effects

When parents struggle with drug addiction, what effective help is available?

Parental Substance Abuse Treatment: Family Treatment
Brandon Bruce Dellario LMSW LASAC

     There are several essential factors regarding family recovery, in treatment planning for a substance abusing parent.  Once a substance abuse disorder has been diagnosed in a parent, client-specific treatment methods can be found.

When teenagers struggle with drug abuse or addiction, what can we do to help?

Teen Substance Abuse: Observations & Treatment 
Brandon Bruce Dellario LMSW LASAC

     Teens can find substance abuse treatment in different ways for various reasons.  One of the biggest motivating factors for young adults is our legal system.  A study in 2002 showed most adolescents (53%) seeking treatment were referred by the criminal justice system, 17% were self referral, and 11% were referred by schools.

1A Addiction treatment program for teen dual-diagnosis populations.

Treatment Program for Marijuana-dependent Teens who display symptoms of Schitzophrenia:  The We Recover for Life Program
Brandon Bruce Dellario LMSW LASAC

Abstract
     In recent years, it has become apparent that many people suffering from the disease of addiction have also been diagnosed with mental illness.

Can alternative therapeutic techniques be used for addiction treatment?

Expressive Arts Therapy:  Art Therapy for Addiction Treatment
Brandon Bruce Dellario LMSW LASAC

“In contrast to the impact of dysfunctional and broken families, parental drug and alcohol abuse, or neglect, art education may seem inconsequential.  Yet, evidence suggests this may not be so.

1A Addiction & dual-diagnosis treatment, art therapy intervention.

Art Therapy Intervention for Dual Diagnosis Treatment:
Recovery Map
Brandon Bruce Dellario LMSW LASAC

“Art therapy can often assist a chemically dependent individual to work through defense mechanisms that distort his or her sense of self and life circumstances.

1A Addiction & dual-diagnosis treatment, art therapy program.

Art Therapy Program for Addiction & Mental Health Recovery:
Art Expression Group
Brandon Bruce Dellario LMSW LASAC

    Art Expression Group is an art course for people in recovery from addiction and or other mental conditions.

1A Addiction treatment program

Substance Abuse Treatment Program:  SOBER Group
Brandon Bruce Dellario LMSW LASAC

“The effectiveness of treatment is positively related to the length of time that clients spend in treatment.”(Prendergast, 2000)  This document is a proposal for a fifteen week outpatient substance abuse treatment program.

SA Tx, Clinical Treatment Practices in Substance Abuse: Prospecting Solutions Through a River of Denial -Brandon Dellario LMSW LASAC

"In the film, 'Mad Max, Beyond Thunderdome,' Mel Gibson finishes a steel cage match by taking down a killer named Blaster.  When Blaster is defeated on the dirt, Gibson rips off his helmet and reveals the notorious Blaster to be a sweet, smiling little boy.  Blaster’s keeper, Master, was using him as a tool to rule and destroy.  Maybe Master is similar to the disease of addiction, and Blaster likening our own true-self, a child hiding deep inside." prose selection by Brandon Bruce Dellario

MI Tx, Clinical Treatment Practices in Mental Health Recovery: Trauma-informed Treatment of The Sanctuary Model -Brandon Dellario LMSW LASAC

“We’ll use humor to heal pain and suffering. Doctors and patients will work side by side as peers. There will be no titles, no bosses. People will come from all over the world to fulfill their dream of helping other people. There will be a community where joy is a way of life, where learning is the highest aim, where love is the ultimate goal.” quote taken from the words of Dr. Hunter “Patch” Adams, UFO Landing artwork by Brandon Bruce Dellario

Trauma-informed Treatment: Informational Article on the film "Girl Interrupted" -Brandon Dellario LMSW LASAC

The film, Girl Interrupted, is a poignant comment on recovery in America’s mental health system and in the family. The two primary characters are played by Winona Ryder and Angelina Jolie.

Recovery from Trauma & Attachment Disorders: Informational Article on the film "Good Will Hunting" -Brandon Dellario LMSW LASAC

In the film Good Will Hunting, Matt Damon’s character (Will) is a man who was physically and mentally abused by his foster parents as a child. This first disrupted attachment relationship primed him adversely for his future relationships.

Recovery from Trauma: Informational Article on the film "Seabiscut" -Brandon Dellario LMSW LASAC

    “Trauma [is] a central organizing principle of human thought, feeling, belief and behavior that has been virtually ignored in our understanding of human nature. Without this understanding we cannot hope to make the sweeping changes we need to make if we are to halt a universal post-traumatic deterioration.”(Bloom, pg. 9)

Ecological Systems Theory: Informational Article on the film "The Chumscrubber" -Brandon Dellario LMSW LASAC

    The film The Chumscrubber is a story of highly privileged teenagers and their families living in the suburbs of Los Angeles. This story is a strong example of how viewing a person within their environment holds undeniable relevance.

Development of the Self: Informational Article on the work of Sam Keen & Mark Epstein -Brandon Dellario LMSW LASAC

Sam Keen has an interesting viewpoint on finding your own meaning and purpose in life, which is the essence of existentialism. “I started giving workshops to help people discover their own stories or 'scripts.' I later came to call this 'writing your own autobiography.'”(London, pg. 59)

Development of the Self, a Feminist Perspective: Informational Article on Sue Monk Kidd's "The Secret Life of Bees" & Jean Baker Miller's "The Development of Women's Sense of Self” -Brandon Dellario LMSW LASAC

The article, “The Development of Women’s Sense of Self,” is a break from the traditional patriarchal theories of development of the self as an 'independent journey.'

Social Construction of Reality: Informational Article on the Susan Griffin work “Denial” -Brandon Dellario LMSW LASAC

“Only now have I begun to recognize that there were many closely guarded family secrets that I kept, and many that were kept from me.”(Griffin, pg. 18)

Relatedness: Informational Article on Catherine Ryan Hyde's "The Man Who Found You in the Woods" -Brandon Dellario LMSW LASAC

In the story, “The Man Who Found You in the Woods,” A man named Nathan finds a newborn baby under some leaves while duck hunting with his dog. He brings the boy to the hospital and thinks about adopting him.

Mental Health Legislation: Will Michigan's "Kevin's Law" model involuntary treatment policy for the broader US mental health system and criminal justice system? -Brandon Dellario LMSW LASAC

Kevin's Law is a 2005 addition to the Michigan Mental Health Code. The legislation includes four bills involving involuntary Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) for individuals with a diagnosis of severe and persistent mental illness.

Social Welfare Legislation: Evolutions of US Social Policy from "The New Deal" & "The Great Society" (FDR, JFK & LBJ) -Brandon Dellario LMSW LASAC

Social policy journalist David G. Gil defines social policy as: “. . . guiding principles or courses of action adopted and pursued by societies and their governments, as well as various groups or units within societies . . . [additionally] The common domain of all social policies can consequently be identified as the overall quality of life in society, the circumstances of living, of individuals and groups, and the nature of all intra-societal human relations